Carson blinked again. "He's my best student. He's not failing. What did you want to talk to me about?"
That was when Carson realized they'd been set up. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I have a feeling Kenny's trying to tell us something."
"I don't understand."
Evan shrugged and said, "It's obvious this meeting was his attempt at getting us together. I think he's actually trying to fix us up, and he has no idea we've been seeing each other all this time."
"I guess I should be flattered," Carson said. "Now we can stop sneaking around and being so secretive." He'd already let Evan know he wasn't fond of meeting him in the gym. He wanted to take him back to his loft and make love to him like civilized people.
Evan shook his head. "I know it sounds good," he said. "But I know Kenny, and he's only doing this because he's still mad at Jeffery for getting involved with Darin Bloomberg. He wants to get even with Jeffery. And this is his way of protecting me. He thinks if I'm with someone stable like you, I can't get hurt again. Besides, I don't want our relationship to be public knowledge yet. That kind of news might not hurt my career, but it could hurt yours as a schoolteacher."
"You have a point," Carson said. "But I'm not worried about my job. I've been out of the closet for years and I'm not hiding anything from anyone."
Evan hesitated. He didn't want to say the wrong thing because he really liked Carson. He reached for his hand and held it tightly. "It's not that simple. I'm still married to Jeffery and I'm not ready to let go of that yet." This was getting more complicated than he wanted it to be.
"But he's so bad for you," Carson said. He leaned forward and looked into Evan's eyes. "He'll sleep with anyone, he'll do anything to make money, and from what I've seen and heard, he has no morals or ethics to speak of. I know I'm not perfect, not by any means. I have my quirks just like any other guy. But I think I'm falling in love with you and I don't want to sneak around with you anymore."
Evan sat back and folded his hands on the table. "I'm sorry, Carson. I have to be honest with you. I can't offer you anything more than what we have right now. I still love my husband, in spite of everything you just said. I have strong feelings for you. But I'm just not ready to say it's over with Jeffery."
"If you need more time, I can deal with that," Carson said. "I'm curious about something. When was the last time you saw Jeffery?"
"We speak every day on the phone," Evan said.
"I'm asking about the last time you saw him."
Evan shrugged. "I haven't seen him since before he went on that trip to California. It's been weeks now."
"Does he know about me?" Carson asked.
Evan nodded. "Yes, I've told him I'm seeing you regularly."
"And he's okay with that?"
Evan smiled, but he hesitated even longer. He couldn't tell Carson the truth this time. When Evan had mentioned his relationship with Carson to Jeffery, Jeffery had laughed and said, "Have fun while it lasts. I'm sure he's a competent stud horse." Evan wasn't surprised by Jeffery's reaction. He knew Jeffery tended to be smug that way. Jeffery even said, "I know you still love me, and I also know no man will ever make you feel the way I do. I'm not worried at all."
So Evan took a quick breath and answered Carson's question without going into detail. "Jeffery is respecting the rules of our open marriage." He couldn't tell him Jeffery didn't consider him serious competition. But more than that, Evan wasn't sure how he felt about Carson yet. The only reason he continued to see him was because he thought he might be able to have a real relationship with someone who wasn't interested in things like open marriages. He knew he might have to settle for second best, but it was worth it to get that kind of stability in his life.
"Then I'll wait," Carson said. "I don't care how long it takes. Sooner or later you have to come to your senses and see that Jeffery Charles is no good for you."
But that same afternoon, while Kenny was at football practice and Carson was back at school meeting with another parent who had a kid who really was failing English, Evan opened the door to his apartment and found two dozen long-stemmed roses on his dining table and Jeffery sitting almost naked on his sofa. He was wearing nothing but a red bowtie.
Evan reached out to touch a rose and smiled. He glanced at the way Jeffery was stretched out on the sofa stroking his dick and took a deep breath. Jeffery knew Evan had always had a small secret fetish for men in bowties.
"Where were you?" Jeffery asked.
His deep smooth voice calmed Evan. He wanted to run over and hug him. But Evan remained standing and said, "I had to meet Carson about something this afternoon. Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" It was a dumb question. Jeffery never called in advance; he just showed up and expected Evan to drop everything for him.
"Is Carson the boxing schoolteacher still fucking you?" Jeffery asked.
Evan nodded. "Don't be so crude, Jeffery. You're the one who wanted things this way."
Jeffery released his dick and stood up. He walked over to the table and put his arms around Evan. "I'm not judging you and I'm not upset about the boxing schoolteacher. I want him to fuck you so you can compare and see who's better at it."
Sometimes the things Jeffery said didn't make sense to Evan. He knew they made sense to Jeffery because everything was a mind game for him. He did nothing and said nothing without an ulterior motive. The problem was figuring out the motive. But Evan wrote historical romances, not mysteries. "Well, you're getting what you want. He's been fucking me since the first date we had, and it's not bad at all."
Jeffery kissed the back of his neck and said, "Excellent."
"And why is that excellent?" Evan wanted to pull back. He knew Jeffery was playing with his head again. But it felt so good to be in his arms, and so good to inhale his familiar scent, Evan couldn't move his feet.
"It's excellent because whenever you're with another guy you always realize that I'm the best, that I will always be the best, and that no other man on Earth will ever compare to me."
Evan smiled and rested his cheek on Jeffery's bare chest. "You are such a smug sonofabitch. I should throw you out right now."
Jeffery's hands went down and stopped at Evan's waist. "But you know you're not going to do that. You haven't been with me since you got out of Havilland and you've been missing me. I'd bet a billion dollars that you even close your eyes and think about me when the boxing schoolteacher is fucking you."
"Of course not," Evan said. But he had fantasized about Jeffery more than once while Carson had been fucking him.
"You're lying," Jeffery said. "I can tell because you won't look at me."
If Evan had continued to play games with Jeffery he wouldn't have been able to get through to him. The one thing he'd learned as Jeffery's husband was that the only thing that gave him power was the truth. So this time he did step back. He pushed Jeffery away and said, "The reason why I'm not going to throw you out has nothing to do with your dick, so get that into your head. The reason why I'm letting you stay is because you're my husband, I haven't seen you in weeks, and because I love you."
Jeffery's expression softened and he lost the smug grin. He took a few steps and he grabbed Evan by the back of the neck. He pulled Evan forward and kissed him so hard Evan had to hold on to his shoulders to keep his balance. While they kissed, Jeffery walked backward, pulling Evan toward the bedroom. The few attempts Evan made to break free from his embrace only made Jeffery kiss him harder. When they reached the bedroom, Jeffery threw him down on the bed and climbed on top of him.
This was the kind of control and passion Evan always craved the most when he wasn't with Jeffery. Though all the men Evan had been with in the past, from the delivery guy to Carson Savione, had been aggressive, none could ever compare to Jeffery when it came to absolute control. That was because the sex they shared went deeper than what Evan had shared with other men. This afternoon was no exception. After Jeffery threw Evan on the bed, he ripped off Evan's shirt and yanked off his shoes, socks, and pants. He didn't bother to pull down Evan's underwear. He grabbed the waistband with both hands and with one tug on the right side and one on the left, he tore them from Evan's body.
When Evan was naked, Jeffery climbed up higher and smacked him in the face with his dick. By that time, Evan's mouth was open and his tongue was extended. Jeffery grabbed him by the hair and forced his head back. He held his dick within inches of Evan's lips, as if he wanted Evan to beg and plead for it. The harder he forced Evan's head away from his dick, the more Evan fought him. His mouth remained open and he struggled as hard as he could until Jeffery finally let go and shoved his dick to the back of Evan's throat.
While Evan sucked, he closed his eyes and ran his hands up and down his husband's solid thighs. No one had legs like Jeffery, and no one else could fill him with this much emotion. Evan turned into every bad cliché he'd ever hated. His heart raced while Jeffery slid in and out of his mouth. His own cock jumped each time Jeffery held his head in his hands and forced it in deeper. When they made love this way, it was as if Jeffery could read his mind and no words were needed. With his husband, Evan felt free to do things he wouldn't have felt free to do with other men, not even Carson. They knew each other so well, and trusted each other so much, they both knew nothing they did to each other in bed would ever be questioned or judged. This one aspect of being married to a man who he loved unconditionally was a huge reason why Evan still wanted to fight for his marriage.