Title: Bobby's Old Man
The Sunset Club #2
Author: AC Katt
Publisher: MLR Press
Release Date: August 2015
Categories: M/M Contemporary
Keith Anderson is in love
with Bobby Michaels. Unfortunately, Keith with their fifteen year age
difference thinks he's too old for Bobby. The two start as friends with
benefits but Keith dumps Bobby when it turns serious leaving Bobby
brokenhearted.
When tragedy strikes and
Bobby needs Keith, he steps up to support his lover. But Bobby lacks trust in
Keith and everything around him. Can Keith convince Bobby that this time is for
real, or will the two lovers never reconcile?
Excerpt
Monday Morning after
Independence Day
Bobby Michaels drove down Ocean Avenue
He pulled into the Sunset
Club's parking lot and got out of his five-year-old red Mazda Miata looking
around at the building in the daylight. Despite the hordes that showed up every
night and spilled outside on line waiting to get into the club with their
cigarettes and beer bottles, someone swept and hosed the parking lot, so it
appeared pristine. Zach took the time to maintain the club--that said something
about him. The Sunset seemed to be closed, but Zach wasn't with Jason, so
Bobbie figured he must be here doing paperwork. He walked up a few steps and
knocked sharply on the delivery entrance.
A large man with chestnut
brown hair and dark brown eyes that appeared almost black opened the door. He
wasn't Zach. Bobby's eyes moved up and down his body. He looked ripped, about
six-four to Bobby's five-ten, and dressed in cutoffs and a T-shirt with the
club's logo. The man met Bobby stare for stare.
"I'm looking for Zach.
Is he inside?" Bobby asked impatiently, wanting to get the unpleasant
chore of warning Zach off finished.
"I'm Keith Anderson.
Zach and I are business partners. Who are you and why do you need to speak to
Zach?" Bobby narrowed his eyes.
The man came off as
menacing, but Bobby was immune to black looks having received them for most of
his life from Jason. Bobby would do what he needed to do to protect his friend
despite anyone's lethal gaze including this good-looking asshole's.
"I'm Bobby Michaels, a
friend of Jason Monroe's and I'd like to talk to Zach. What I'd like to speak
to him about is his and my business." Bobby's foot twitched as he stood on
the raised concrete slab used as a loading dock.
Keith peered at Bobby's face
scrutinizing it for something--Bobby didn't know what. He seemed to come to
some decision because he opened the door and let Bobby inside.
He escorted Bobby into a
small office near the kitchen in the back of the building and pointed to the
seat in front of the desk. Bobby sat down and waited. Bobby knew how to out
wait and intimidate an opponent. Besides being a soccer star, Bobby played an
excellent game of chess.
Keith spoke first just as
Bobby intended. "Zach isn't here. He had something he had to do for his
sister Gloria today. Now it's your turn. What do you want with Zach?"
"I asked for Zach, not
for you. Why should I explain myself to you?" Bobby asked as he leaned
forward, closing the distance between them. With the line of his body, Bobby
told Keith that he didn't scare easily.
Keith seemed to take a deep
breath then let it out. He sized up Bobby somewhat belligerently. "You
should because I know who you are Bobby Michaels, you're Jason's best friend.
Well, I'm Zach's best friend, and I'm wondering what's going on with my Zach
and your Jason." Bobby glared back.
"Well, I won't show my
cards without seeing some of yours," Bobby watched Keith's eyes roll up
toward the ceiling.
Keith let out a huff.
Looking back at Bobby he said, "I suggest we pool our information."
Bobby relaxed a bit and
leaned back in his chair. This conversation was going to be more interesting
than he thought. "That sounds like an excellent idea, you first."
Bobby's brown eyes blazed with victory.
"Since you knocked on
my door-- you should go first, but I'm getting bored with the pissing contest
and would like to get on to the topic at hand." Bobby thought Keith
wouldn't give away much, but Bobby would meet him toe-to-toe. A strange
expression flitted over Keith's face.
Seeming as if he came to a
decision his hard eyes softened a bit. He had gorgeous black eyes especially
now that he's not glaring.
Keith offered. "Zach
has stopped seeing everyone else." Keith pulled back from the desk as if
he needed to put physical distance between Bobby and him, revealing more of his
body. Bobby hadn't noticed earlier because he was preoccupied; but Keith
possessed a rock-hard body and under Keith's T-shirt Bobby spotted hair peeking
over the round band of the collar. He was in instant lust. Bobby loved hairy
chests.
Bobby's cock took inventory.
He liked what he saw. He pulled his thoughts from traveling in that direction.
What did he just say...oh...Bobby's eyes widened. "That's surprising--I
assumed Zach was a player. He told Jason he didn't do encores."
Keith examined Bobby's eyes
and cocked his head, "Zach Montgomery was more than a player. He was a man
whore. Notice the word was in that sentence. To my knowledge, Zach hasn't seen
anyone but Jason since the night they met, which makes me suspicious of your
Jason. Zach has money, your turn."
"Jason's broke, but he
has no idea that Zach has money."
"He owns half the club
and has a number of other assets in town." Bobby bristled, and his leg
began to twitch.
"Jason assumes he owns
a mortgaged nightclub and is solidly middle class. He doesn't know anything
about being wealthy, he wouldn't see the signs, besides which Jason has never
been to his home. Zach always comes to him."
"Interesting..."
Keith sat there staring. Bobby continued to refuse to be intimidated. His smile
seemed benign.
"They go to the park
and sometimes Zach brings Caroline to play with Kitty. He might even like
Kitty, but I don't want to take a chance. Jason and Kitty have more to lose
than Zach."
"Zach wouldn't hurt the
little girl, how could you think that...Zach loves kids. If your friend is
scheming, a kid is the way to do it." Bobby thought Keith sounded
self-righteous.
Bobby was livid at Keith
accusation. His face was mottled, and he had to hold onto his leg to keep it
from twitching. "Jason doesn't know how to scheme. He's never had the
opportunity. Jason has never seen anyone, period."
"Why's that? It seems a
bit unusual for a gay guy over eighteen to be that clueless."
"He hasn't had the time
to get a clue. He worked as a drudge for his grasping father and stepmother.
Just as he escaped their clutches and went to UNM, Ann got pregnant, and they
sucked him back in."
"Ann?" Keith
asked.
"Ann was Jason's evil
stepmother, literally. She and Evan, Jason's father, robbed Jason blind then
died driving drunk. Jason doesn't know that."
"How could Jason not
know?"
"He was in college in New Mexico
"Why was that?"
Keith now exuded curiosity.
"They told him Ann lost
her job." Bobby's face was burning. "They died, driving drunk leaving
Jason as the guardian and sole provider for his then three-year-old
half-sister, he was only twenty, about to turn twenty-one."
"He didn't have to take
responsibility. He could have left her to social services," Keith said.
Now he's trying to provoke
me. Bobby settled down and continued, "Jason loves his sister. He gave up
his scholarship and came back to Kitty, a house that was falling apart, and
inadequate insurance. Until recently, besides caring for Kitty, he worked two jobs
and was still barely able to keep his head above water. He's had no time to
learn to be devious."
"Unlike you" Keith
projected amusement.
"Unlike me," Bobby
blandly smiled back at him.
In a mercurial change of
mood, Keith said, "That's tough about the parents for him and the
kid." Keith's face softened. "He's making good money here, and he
gets along well with all of the staff even though they're aware Zach's
interested in him, and that's unusual."
"Jason is clueless.
He's a hard worker and loyal to a fault. He'd never take advantage of anyone.
Everyone likes him, but he's prone to having people take advantage of
him."
"Yeah, that happens.
Gay guys can be the worst bitches. I've seen them in action in too many bars. I
don't allow it here."
Bobby raised an eyebrow.
"I hear an occasional
complaint from one of the bartenders but other than him no one thinks Jason is
getting special treatment, so I pay no attention to the whiner. Jason works
harder than anyone in this club. He doesn't try to take advantage of the fact
that Zach's hot for him. He's a good worker, and they know it."
"If you know that about
Jason, why are you yanking my chain?" Bobby asked, curious.
"Because it's so
eminently yankable." Keith smiled blandly.
"Listen, Jason's doing
well enough that he could quit his second job. He's happy here. I don't want
the new job to be in jeopardy if Zach takes the notion to move on from whatever
this is. Jason is finally making enough so that his gut doesn't wrench every
time he opens the mail." This time it was Keith with the raised eyebrow.
"Finally Reggie and I don't have to bring food to the house under the
guise of wanting to eat dinner with him and Kitty. In the last year, he's lost
at least ten pounds by doing without."
Keith seemed to be listening
intently.
Bobby sized up Keith trying
to determine if he could trust him. "I'm his best friend. I can't stand by
and let Jason and Kitty get hurt by someone who is doing a drive-by and they
would be because Jason is more involved than he knows." Bobby stood and
put his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts.
"Surely he’s not that naive,
he must know Zach's interested."
"Jason thinks that Zach
comes around for Caroline. He thinks Zach likes him, but only as a friend. He
told Jason Caroline was lonely and didn't have anyone to play with her. Jason
responded because Kitty is alone too. Jason would do anything for Kitty; even
starve himself to get her what he thinks she needs."
Keith leaned back in his
chair as if he made up his mind. He looked up at Bobby, "I think Zach's
committed to this relationship."
"Committed as in
forever committed? I can't let anyone near Jason with intentions of being
something less. It wouldn't be fair to either him or Kitty." Bobby's hands
came out of his pockets to rest on the back of the chair.
"I'm positive that Zach
is all in. I looked at his phone yesterday--he erased all of the numbers for
his usual sex-overs. The only places I've seen him go besides Jason's house are
here, Gloria's, and his house in Asbury
Park
Bobby raised an eyebrow,
"In love?"
"Yes, in love. We need
to discuss this over a drink. Follow me out to the bar and we'll talk about
what to do to help our friends." Bobby followed Keith down the small
corridor that had two doors on the left-hand side. Bobby peered through the glass
portal. It looked like a stockroom. He trailed after Keith to the second door
that led directly to the largest bar of the five bars in the club.
Keith stepped behind the bar
and put two shot glasses on the counter. Bobby pulled up a backless maroon leather
and wooden stool and sat down.
Keith said, "Name your
poison."
"Jameson, neat."
Bobby caught Keith peering at him from the corner of his eye. Bobby took a ten
from his wallet and put it on the bar.
"None of that."
Keith shoved the money back at him. Bobby shrugged and put it back in his
wallet.
Keith poured them a generous
shot apiece. After a few minutes of silence with neither man willing to speak
first, Keith sighed and began to talk. "I think we have a problem here.
Zach won't reveal his feelings for Jason unless he knows there is at least a
small chance that they are reciprocated."
"Why would that be? He
must know. Jason shows his feelings, his emotions are easily read."
Bobby's leg was twitching.
"Zach's been dumped
before. Someone he cared about left him when his injury made it apparent he
could no longer play pro football. No dollars, no Daniel."
"What a prick. Jason's
not like that at all, but there is a problem. Jason isn't going to admit how he
feels about Zach because he doesn't know how to act with a potential lover or
even how to let him know he's interested." Bobby grimaced in frustration.
Keith cocked his head; brow
creased. "I can see that. Almost every single guy in the bar was eyeing
him up when he came in with you. They weren't even on his radar. It was as if
he didn't notice. Doesn't he have any idea how attractive he is?"
"Jason has never even
dated. He can't seem to wrap his head around the fact that Zach might feel
something more for him than friendship. Remember this is his first
boyfriend."
Keith sipped at his whiskey.
Bobby continued, "Jason
has no vanity. He's self-effacing. I believe that if Zach returns his feelings,
Zach will be it for him. However, Zach is going to have to pony up first. Jason
doesn't know how." Bobby downed his shot.
"Zach needs a trigger.
He loves him and wants to help. He hasn't said anything, but he always makes
sure that Jason doesn't get a dead station. Jason is always working the busiest
bar in the place."
"Are you sure the other
bartenders don't resent that?"
"Everyone here knows
about Jason's precarious financial position and sympathizes. The fact that Zach
doesn't talk to me about Jason, not even in terms of the job--that's very
significant. We discuss all of our employees. We're like family here. However,
Zach needs an opening to act." Keith finished his shot.
"What kind of opening
and why won't he talk to you about Jason, you're his best friend, right?"
Bobby moved his stool further in toward the bar.
"Yes, exactly."
"Exactly? Why doesn't
Zach talk about Jason? Is he ashamed of him?" Bobby's leg started tapping
out a rhythm.
"I teased Zach about
Jason the morning after that first day he accompanied the three of you to the
park. He went ballistic."
Bobby chuckled. "That's
a good sign, but why."
Keith laughed. "He
doesn't want to call too much attention to him. He's afraid I'll make a move to
seduce Jason. I won't--but he's still afraid."
"Why not? Jason's
attractive."
"It's not that. Of
course, he's attractive. I already said so. Frankly, I don't think that even if
I was so inclined, to make a move that is, Jason would even look at me. He sees
Zach and has stars in his eyes. Zach is just as bad."
"It's gotten that far?
I've been at school and soccer practice, so I haven't been around them as much
to keep an eye on Jason and Zach. That's one of the reasons I was worried. I
need to know what's going on, that Jason and Kitty are safe." Bobby's leg
started to tap the polished wooden floor.
"This is the first time
that Zach's seen someone for something more than a booty call since Daniel
dumped him."
"Why did this Daniel
leave him? Zach told Jason he had insurance that paid out the rest of his
contract and that was why he believed in good insurance on the job. Besides
that he's going to school to get his doctorate in psychology. In fact, there's
money in that profession plus prestige and a good paycheck even if he becomes a
college professor. It makes no sense that Daniel didn't know Zach had
insurance."
"Zach never thought to
mention it to him. Zach's parents were dead, and he was mourning them. Money
wasn't on his mind. As far as Daniel knew, once Zach's knee went the first week
in training camp, he was broke. After that, Zach was toast."
"It's telling that this
is the first time he's put any effort in a relationship in so long a period. I
still have reservations."
"Yes..." Keith
invited him to share.
"What if he gets tired
of Jason and now that he's open to a relationship, he decides to dip his wick
somewhere else? That would devastate Jason and I'd be the one left who had to
pick up the pieces." Bobby shoved his shot glass away.
"I know Zach. He
doesn't want to spook Jason. He's afraid to make a move because, he doesn't
want to scare him off and not be able to see Jason anymore. He adores the
little girl. He talks about her all the time. I know the name of the cat Zach
got her and that it rides around in a doll carriage." Keith wiped down the
bar in front of them.
Bobby laughed. "That's
Eloise. Kitty puts her in a sunbonnet."
"And the cat lets her.
I've got to meet Miss Kitty. She sounds like a force of nature. Another?"
Keith held up the bottle.
"No thanks, it's barely
afternoon and I need to be functional for the rest of the day." Keith put
his elbows on the bar placed his body within a hair's breadth of Bobby.
"Are you gay?"
Keith waited for an answer, from Bobby. Keith's black eyes sparkled.
"That was a non-sequitur.
My sexuality isn't in question here. That's not what we're discussing. I
thought we were talking about Jason and Zach. What made you ask me that?"
Bobby's face turned red as he tried to deflect the question.
"I watched you the
night you first came in with Jason. You didn't keep your eyes to yourself. You
feasted, especially when Jason wasn't looking and when I made the remark about
bartenders being bitches you knew exactly what I was talking about." Keith
gazed at Bobby knowingly
Bobby knew he had to give it
up. "I'm bi, but you're the first to notice. My parents are older than
most parents of someone my age. They expect grandchildren. Mom and Dad accepted
Jason, but I'm not so sure about how they'd feel if I told them I was
gay."
Keith pounced. "You
said gay, not bi."
Bobby laughed. "You
caught me...so now you know my secret. Even Jason doesn't know I'm gay."
Bobby frowned. "Are you going to tell the general public now that you're
sure? I'd like to tell Jason in my own time." Keith poured Bobby another
shot.
"I shouldn't have this,
I have to drive."
Keith shrugged. "No,
I'm usually not a gossip, except when it affects someone I consider family. As
far as your second shot is concerned, there's a furnished apartment upstairs
where you can go to sleep it off if sleeping is what you want to do. It would
be easier to hang around here, eat something, and then drive home later. We
have things to talk about."
Bobby nodded his head.
"I agree. I'm convinced. So we need to talk about how we're going to get
our two best friends to pull their heads out of their respective asses and
admit they love one another."
"There is that and a
few other things, like are you available for a bit of fun?" Keith leered
at Bobby like a villain from the silent movies.
"Whoa, don't go there.
I told you I'm not out and don't plan to be for the foreseeable future."
Bobby's lips thinned.
He is attractive. Keith kept
pushing. "You don't have to be out to fool around. Do you have any
experience?" Keith asked obviously not accepting the fact that Bobby
wouldn't respond. He has as much as I to lose as I do if he gossiped. I don't
have a fuck buddy right now. He's gorgeous; I better stay on topic if I want to
get out of here whole.
"That's none of your
business. As I said before, I came to talk about Jason and Zach. However, for
the record, yes, I do. I don't spend all my time with Jason and Kitty."
Bobby bristled.
"Why not Jason? What's
wrong with him?" Keith asked his face, serious.
"Nothing's wrong with
Jason but ewwww...I've known Jason since I was seven. That would be like
fucking my brother." Bobby sat up, straightened his back and downed his
second shot. I'm apparently not planning on driving.
"Do you think Jason has
a crush on you or any of the other guys on your Ocean Township Champion Soccer
Team of 2010?" Bobby was startled and not amused. Except for Jason and me,
all the guys from 2010 are straight.
"You were listening to
us the night we came to the club." He tried to stare Keith down.
Keith shrugged. "It's
my joint. You had eleven guys at the table. I always watch large groups. I
don't want my place busted up. Answer the question."
"No, he doesn't. All
the other guys are straight." I'd swear to that. "Besides, like I
said, Jason had no time to date."
Keith leaned back on his
barstool and laughed. "I wouldn't be so sure..."
"About what?"
Bobby was incredulous.
"About your so-called
straight friends."
"You're kidding,
who--never mind, I don't want to know." Bobby knew he sounded indignant,
but he couldn't even conceive how this might be true.
"There are other people
besides you who aren't out for various reasons." Bobby watched as Keith
nonchalantly sipped at his drink after dropping that bombshell.
"Who then?" Bobby
peered at Keith daring him to name names.
"The kid with the
limousine. I've seen him here more than once trying to chat someone up."
"Reggie...you've got to
be kidding." Bobby was flabbergasted.
"Yes, he's the one. He
keeps trying to hit on one of my bartenders. I think it's Mark. Mark shot him
down because he thinks Reggie is a rich college boy just looking for a good
time and has more money than sense. Mark wants a relationship not a guy who
thinks he's slumming."
"Reggie's not like
that. He's a good guy and has been a good friend to Jason. He's pulled Jason
out of a hole more than once. He wouldn't hurt anyone. If Reggie made a pass
after hiding all these years, he's serious."
"Maybe he's sweet on
Jason," Keith mused as he poured himself another shot.
"I don't think so.
Isn't that a bit too much for the middle of the day?" Bobby raised an
eyebrow and looked pointedly at the open bottle.
"Are you my
mother?" Keith asked with belligerence.
"No, but I don't want
to see you fall into a bottle because you're lonely," Bobby said with a
sigh.
"How do you know I'm
lonely?" Keith's lips pursed.
"Because maybe like me,
your best friend has found someone else to hang out with." Bobby knowingly
gazed into Keith's eyes. "Maybe you had a crush on Zach."
"No, not Zach, never
Zach, we're too much alike." Keith protested as he capped the bottle and
put it back on the top shelf. "You could always keep me company,"
Keith teased, lips forming a smirk.
"Keep it in your pants.
I came over here for Jason and Kitty's sake." If that were the case, I
could have left after the first drink once he reassured me Zach was serious; I
damn well better get out of here now. This man is too attractive and, therefore,
dangerous to a continued stay in the closet. Bobby pushed his stool away from
the bar and stood about to leave.
Keith put his hand on
Bobby's arm. "Stay, I always revert to a tease when I'm uncomfortable. You
hit too close to home. Zach is the brother I never had, and I miss hanging out.
Besides, I'm way too old for you."
"You don't look that
old to me. You look damn fine. Just how much of an old man are you?" Bobby
laughed. "You don't look like you have one foot in the grave yet."
Bobby took a cocktail napkin from the pile on the bar and began to shred it.
"I'm um...
thirty-six." Keith hedged.
"I'm
twenty-three," Bobby told him, "not too bad of an age difference. Dad
is thirteen years older than Mom."
Keith's eyes widened,
evidently surprised. "You appear and speak as if you're older than you
are."
"Old enough to make you
want to run around the table to fuck me from the way you're leering, but right
now I have to play nice; you're Jason's beau's best friend. The sounding older
thing--I think it comes from having elderly parents and being an only child. No
one ever talked down to me, so I had to learn to keep up. As far as my
appearance is concerned, as Popeye said, ‘I am what I am.'"
"Don't get me wrong, I
think you look damn delectable, but I won't go there, you're too young."
Keith shook his head as if that bothered him.
Doesn't seem to bother him
that I'm still here bantering. Bobby lifted an eyebrow, having come to a
decision. "Too young even for a little bit of fun? I'm only too young if
you plan to get serious if you don't..." Bobby shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm open to suggestions."
