"Oh man, that's like insta-love or something, like you read in those books you can't stop reading." Cat laughed and Marly was quick to put the man straight.
"Not love," he corrected. "More like intense like, lust and a dash of friendship."
"You're in love with him," Cat said. "Don't deny it. You're in love with a biker."
Marly shrugged. That was part of the problem he couldn't share with his best friend. Yes, he was in love with Trent, but if the man couldn't even be bothered to go out with him, wouldn't be seen with a twink in public, then Marly had to wonder just how successful their very long term relationship would ever be.
"I'm not going to deny it," he said, before tipping his head back and draining his drink. "But the feelings aren't mutual. Now are we going clubbing or what?"
"Definitely clubbing."
/~/~/~/~/
Trent had been busy in Clive's office, making calls, setting up meetings and generally trying to keep busy since he had gotten Marly's text a few hours before. When he'd first got it he was absolutely furious. It wasn't as though he'd never been to a gay club before and although he knew Marly wouldn't cheat on him, the fact that his mate would be all dressed up looking positively fuckable, was enough to make his wolf howl.
After the initial anger seeped away, Trent realized it was covering a layer of hurt. For the first time Marly hadn't asked him to come and find him, or go with him. He said he was going with his friends and clearly Trent wasn't included under that umbrella.
"It's not like you to still be here." Clive's voice came from the office door and Trent looked up to see his friend standing there with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
"Marly's out tonight," he said.
"Hmmm, and you didn't go with. Interesting." Clive closed the office door, and came over to the desk, setting down the two glasses and half filling them both with whiskey. Then he settled himself in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk and raised his glass at Trent in salute.
Raising his glass in return, Trent downed the contents in one large swallow, reaching for the bottle to pour himself another.
"Not that interesting. Marly said he needed to be ‘himself' tonight." Trent couldn't believe he did the air quote thing, but he did it anyway.
"I presume that means he's going out as a gay man, with gay friends, to a gay club to have fun with other gay people."
"Well he's hardly going to a hen party," Trent snapped.
"So what's got your leathers in a twist? The fact that he went, the fact that he didn't include you, or the fact that you know you're behaving like a coward and haven't taken your mate out since you met him."
"I danced with him at Glitters," Trent said and then realized that no, he didn't. On that night in question, Marly had got upset with him, and had gone home. He was starting to realize that his astute friend was possibly, maybe, almost definitely right about option three.
"Oh, well, that makes it all right then, doesn't it? And of course the fact that you touch me more than you touch him when he comes here, isn't an issue either. The fact that I know he's invited you for lunch a dozen times and you've always told him you were too busy, isn't contributing to your problem. The fact that you haven't taken him out to dinner, don't go shopping with him for groceries, or in fact … "
"You've got too many fucking facts," Trent snarled. "I know, I am being a lousy mate, okay, and Marly deserves better."
"Then why are you being like this? ‘Cos it seems to me, that sooner or later, Marly's going to stop coming here, and start hanging with his friends a lot more, if you don't step up to the plate. And I like the little guy. He's fun to be around."
"I know he is," Trent said, before throwing back another shot of whiskey. "But you see how he looks. He couldn't be gayer if he wore a neon sign around his neck."
"He dresses fairly conservatively when he comes here," Clive said.
"When he comes here," Trent agreed. "But when he's at work, or out on the town, then he tend to be a lot more colorful. His closet has got every color of the rainbow in it."
"So he's colorful, a little flamboyant, pretty, and built for a small guy. I'm still not seeing the problem. You're not ashamed of him are you?"
"Fuck no," Trent roared.
Sipping his whiskey, Clive sat silently, staring at Trent so hard Trent didn't know where to look.
"I'm not ashamed of him, it's just what if he wants to hold hands, or kiss me or something while we're out somewhere?" Trent said at last.
"You guys are mates, I presume he probably would want to. I'm still not seeing the problem. You're a big thug, no one is going to be stupid enough to give you any grief and you can't tell me you wouldn't be all handsy on him in public either. You would be, if you could just get your head out of your ass and stop worrying about how it might look, or what people might say."
Did he really worry about such stupid things? Trent thought about it as he contemplated the whiskey in his glass. He thought about Marly's laugh, his gorgeously pretty face, his stunning body, and perhaps more importantly, how much Marly had tried to fit in with Trent's lifestyle. Yet apart from acknowledging Marly at the club, Trent had done nothing to fit in with his mate. The worst part of it was, that Trent missed his mate. Missed being with him, holding him and doing those little daily things that made a relationship so much more fun. How on earth could he tell the man he loved him, if he hadn't even taken him on a date?
Putting down his glass, he grinned at Clive and said, "Fancy going clubbing?"
"Yeah, why not," Clive said. "But … er … in the interests of keeping ourselves out of trouble, let's leave the patches here. It's going to be a while until the public opinion of us has changed for the better and we want the bouncers to let us in."
Chapter Twenty One
"So two big biker dudes go into a gay bar," Cat said.
Marly groaned. "Don't even joke about it Cat, it's not funny."
"I wasn't joking," Cat insisted. "There's two big biker dudes at the door and one of them is looking our way. Someone you know?"
Marly risked a quick look over his shoulder and just as quickly looked away. "Fuck, that's Trent and Clive. What the fuck are they doing here? Let's get on the dance floor quick, otherwise Trent might go all caveman on me and drag me out by my hair."
"Oho, sounds like fun," Cat said, slipping out of the booth and following Marly onto the dance floor. Seconds later they were swallowed up by a tide of wriggling male flesh. But Marly couldn't relax. Now he knew his mate was near, the man he loved, his body responded and all his wolf wanted was to drag his skinny ass over to the Alpha and hump his leg.
Seconds later he got half of his wish, as two hands grabbed him and a cock he knew intimately was ground against his leather pants.
"Having fun, little wolf," Trent growled in his ear. Marly's first instinct was to pull away. He knew that Trent didn't like touching him in public, but if anything the hands that were holding him tightened and Marly half turned his body and met the lust glittering in his mate's eyes. Lust was something he knew how to work with and he ground his ass back against the ridge threatening Trent's jeans.
"I am now," he said honestly raising his hand and arching it around his Trent's neck. His mate just growled and held him tighter, the two men dancing together as one body. Marly closed his eyes, knowing that Trent would keep him safe, and gave himself over to the feelings that swamped his body. Lust, was a given, but there was so much more between the two men than that. This was what Marly had craved. Spending time with his mate outside of their apartment, or the Epitaph's compound.
They danced together, lost in each other and the music, for what seemed like hours, but was probably only about thirty minutes. As a song ended, Trent tugged Marly towards the bar, looking for a drink. Forced out of his mate stupor, Marly looked around for Cat and saw him in their booth with Clive. The two men looked very cozy and Marly smiled. Clive might not be what Cat normally went for, but the change might do his friend some good. He nudged Trent to get his attention and tipped his head towards the scene.
"Is Clive planning another walk on the wild side?"
Trent glanced over and grinned. "Don't know if it's permanent, but Clive seems pretty keen. Let's go join them and see if we can't help things along."