“Yeah. Very funny,” I agreed in a flat tone, motioning toward the pool. “It’s lovely. Do you have…friends over often?”
Bobby J fixed me with an ear-to-ear grin. “My actual friends have been over a few times, but I never invite booty calls here…if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to take the chance of bringing the wrong guy or girl home.”
I spread a napkin over my lap and thanked him when he slid my sandwich to me on a plate. “Oh? Have you done that?”
“Yeah, and she stayed for a year. I finally resolved that mess and ended up doing the same thing with a dude six months later. I actually had to leave his shit on the sidewalk and inform the doorman not to grant him access to my floor. I even changed my lock…just in case,” he huffed, taking a huge bite of his sandwich. “That was over six years ago. I like to think I’m smarter about people now, but I keep ’em at arm’s length just in case they get the wrong idea.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll get the wrong idea?”
“No, you’re too honest. And you’ve been pretty clear that you’re interested in me as a concept…not as a person. I’m an experiment to you, and I’m totally down with that. If I thought you wanted a boyfriend, we wouldn’t be here,” he assured me around a mouthful of food.
“Hmm. Is that what happened with you and Johnny?” I asked nonchalantly.
Bobby J went still. He eyed me warily as he resumed chewing. “Did he say something to you?”
“Of course not. I barely know him. It’s obvious that there’s tension between you. Not hateful, though. It’s more…uncomfortable. Or complicated.”
“It’s not that complicated. We weren’t lovers. I mean, we were by accident. But that was because we were with the same person and—it was just a big fucking mistake,” he groused.
I cocked my head. “Accidental lovers? Is that a thing?”
“Sure. Another description is…threesome gone sideways.”
I studied the rigid set of his jaw as he stared into space with his brow furrowed thoughtfully.
“I considered putting threesomes on my list of to-dos,” I lied. “Should I rethink that experience?”
Bobby J’s eyes snapped up at me, virtually pinning me in place. “Threesomes are not for you. Fuck, they’re not for me either.”
“What happened?” I asked again.
“It was a bad fit. Johnny and I were friends, not lovers, so the logistics were already awkward. And the guy turned out to be a creep. He tried to film us. Not kidding. He had his phone propped on a bedside lamp, partially hidden by a towel. I saw a blinking light and shut the whole thing down. There’s not a graceful way to do that naked. We made the guy delete it, kicked him out, got dressed, and that was that. But nothing has been the same since, and it sucks. I feel like the bad influence buddy who finally gets what he had comin’ to him. My younger self would laugh his ass off,” he scoffed.
“How so?”
He finished chewing with a shrug. “I was kind of a goody-two-shoes. You might even say I was a geek.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I studied my ass off in school. My mom died when I was ten, and my dad checked out for a while afterward. I thought making the honor roll every year might get his attention. I was valedictorian in high school and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard before getting accepted to med school. I originally committed to Johns Hopkins, but my dad had a health scare at the time, so I went to University of Chicago to be close to home instead.”
“Wow. You’re a genius,” I gasped.
Bobby J snickered. “Yeah, not quite. I topped out and unraveled in med school.”
“Oh, right. Stethoscope phobia.”
“Among other things. I don’t know what happened to me. I had panic attacks on the daily. Debilitating ones too. According to my dad, my subconscious was actively encouraging me to find another career choice. Something I did for myself and not to try to impress him.”
“What does your father think about your music?”
“He’s supportive. But he’d support anything I said I was wildly excited about. My dad found his passion in his work. He’s a molecular physicist…as you probably know from your sleuth work. He lives with blinders on. Work equals happy. Nothing else really matters.”
“Hmm.”
Bobby J cleaned the counter, returning the packages of sandwich meats and cheeses to the fridge before grabbing a beer and joining me.
“In a way, my old man is right. You should love what you do. But balance is important too. It’s taken me years to finally feel like I’m closing in on a good internal cocktail. I used to be all about school and work. Then I was all about music and living la vida loca. Now I know I need a mix of the two.”
“Work and play.”
“Exactly. And that threesome gone wrong was a great wake-up call. I know Johnny and I will work it out. It just sucks that I jeopardized a friendship for a momentary thrill.” He fiddled with the edges of the label on his beer bottle as he regarded me. “I didn’t intend to tell you my life story. I just wanted you to know that I understand your quest better than you’d think. You strike me as a thoughtful person. I don’t think you’re out for cheap thrills…of the pineapple cake, sunburn, and jogging variety. I imagine you’re more interested in making sure you remember how to…live.”
I nodded like a puppet on a string. “Yes, that’s it. That’s exactly it. I’m sure I’ll love my job, but I don’t want to look back and wonder if I missed out on ‘smelling the roses.’ ”
“Or skinny-dipping,” he reminded me with a grin.
“Yes. Yes, exactly. Maybe you do understand.”
Bobby J reached for my hand and brought it to his lips. “We can help each other. I’ll get naked with you in the pool and you can remind me to slow my roll and enjoy the ride.”
I bit my bottom lip. “I thought you were already doing too good a job at that.”
“True. I’ve got the hedonistic part nailed. Now I want to…bake a cake.”
“Pineapple upside-down?”
“Fuck, no.” He snorted, tugging my hand meaningfully as he stood.
He snaked his arms around my waist and fused his mouth to mine. I nibbled his bottom lip, then licked it before slipping my tongue inside. We made out in a slow-building swell, turning up the flame a little at a time until we were both breathless and panting.
I flattened myself to his broad chest and found my place where we’d left off at the office. I moaned into his passionate kisses, meeting him thrust for thrust as I bucked my hips, looking for friction. Grinding against his erection was pure bliss, but we could have been doing so much more.
“Can I suck your cock?” I blurted.
“Sweet Jesus.”
His nostrils flared as he considered me. I couldn’t tell if he was gauging my sincerity or my sanity. Either was possible. My head was swimming, and my dick felt like an iron rod behind my zipper. I was pretty sure I’d never wanted anyone this badly. Ever.
Thankfully, he didn’t make me wait. Bobby J unbuckled his belt and motioned for me to do the same. He pulled his T-shirt over his head and flung it somewhere toward the adjacent living area before helping me undo the buttons on my oxford shirt. He paused frequently to kiss me breathless or palm my crotch through my khakis, stroking my hard-on until I was dizzy with desire. I did the same for him, gripping his shaft through his jeans with my right hand and tweaking his nipples with my left.