The air in the bar was thick and it smelled of old wine and cheap cologne. These were the times he missed smoking in bars. He moved closer to the end of the bar and leaned back on his elbows to watch the dance floor. But when he lifted the beer to take a drink, someone banged into his elbow and knocked the bottle right out of his hand.
A man touched his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, dude. Someone pushed me into you. This place is so fucking mobbed. Let me buy you another."
Elroy's first instinct was to push him back. But he glanced at the man still touching his shoulder and said, "No problem." He had to shout over the music, and even then he couldn't hear his own voice. Then a big drag queen with a bad red wig bumped into him and he wanted to give her a shove right back. He would have shoved her if he'd been alone. But he continued to smile because he didn't want this guy to think the worst of him.
The man leaned forward so he could speak into Elroy's ear without shouting. "What were you drinking, buddy?"
He didn't sound girly; a good sign. Elroy sent him an innocent look and shrugged. This time he reached up and rested his palm on the man's chest and spoke into his ear. "Just beer." He hadn't expected this turn of events. The guy had thick black wavy hair, steel blue eyes, and just the right amount of dark stubble. He was one of the ten other people in the bar not wearing a Halloween costume. He wore a white button-down shirt under a brown leather jacket and jeans.
The guy set one hand on Elroy's back and motioned for the bartender with the other, and he bought Elroy another beer. He handed it to him and spoke into his ear again. This time his lips touched Elroy's ear. "Here you go, man. I'm Ricky." His deep voice made Elroy's knees weak.
Elroy took the beer and smiled. He leaned forward and said, "I'm Mike." Elroy never used his real name in places like this when he was cruising for men. He knew this would be nothing more than a one-night stand and he didn't want to take any chances with his real name. If a guy asked for his phone number later, Elroy would give him a fake one. It was the kind thing to do to with men who might wind up becoming too needy. He'd used the name Mike many times. It was as easy to remember as it was to forget.
Chapter Thirteen
The moment they stepped onto Commercial Street, Elroy noticed the gold wedding band on Ricky's finger. It had been too dark to see it inside the bar. He figured Ricky had taken a short vacation from his regular life that night. Elroy didn't ask any questions, and he pretended not to notice the ring. The ring spoke for itself louder than anything Ricky could have said. Elroy knew if Ricky had wanted to hide it he could have.
Ricky placed his hand with the gold wedding band on Elroypretending-to-be-Mike's back and led him down the street. Even though versatile top Elroy had been in the mood to top that night, he wasn't about to ignore this good-looking man on a mere technicality-the wedding band or the top issue. And Ricky was all man, indeed. From his scruffy dark beard to his large strong hands. That fat little fuck back in Boston, Edwin Sutton, would have given handsome Ricky a bank account in his own name just to sniff his underwear.
As they walked toward the West End of town, Ricky asked, "Where are you parked?" They'd already established the basics inside the bar. Ricky knew Elroy had driven down from Boston and Elroy knew Ricky had a room for the night at a local bed-anbreakfast. He didn't know where Ricky lived and he didn't ask. It didn't really matter to him.
When Ricky asked this, they were approaching Elroy's car near the post office. Elroy felt a quick surge of panic because he'd parked in a handicapped spot and he wasn't visibly handicapped. If this guy was the socially responsible, politically correct type, he might frown on this. So Elroy shrugged and said, "Not far from here. Where are you spending the night?" He'd learned early changing the subject fast had its advantages.
"Up on Carver Street," Ricky said. "I didn't decide to come here until this morning. It's not the best place in town, but it was hard to book anything this weekend on such short notice with so many people in town."
They were only a few blocks from Carver Street. Elroy rested his palm on Ricky's stomach and yawned. He wanted to go back to his room with him. "You were lucky to get a room at all. I wish I'd booked something. I'm exhausted." To make this clear he yawned again and said, "I'd love to just get naked and stretch out in bed."
Ricky's hand went lower and he patted Elroy's ass without caring about passersby. He laughed and said, "I hope you're not too tired to see my room. If you are I'll understand."
Elroy knew he was teasing. He arched his back a little and leaned into Ricky's side, encouraging Ricky's hand to go lower. "I think I can stay awake long enough to see your room." Then he stopped walking, turned to face Ricky in the middle of Commercial Street, and kissed him on the mouth right in front of a group of homely young gay guys all in bad drag.