Lyon walked over to him and put his arms around him. He patted Treston on the back and said, "He's a fucking gonif, like J.D. said. You're too good for him. Trust me, buddy. I'm straight and I can tell you that some guys are fucking assholes. You need to get yourself a nice older gay guy with a few bucks who'll take good care of you and treat you right, because you're not going to be able to get by shooting ping-pong balls out of your pretty little ass forever."
Treston continued to sob. He rested his cheek on Lyon's shoulder and said, "Oh, you are so right. I'm done with men. I don't care if I never fall in love again."
Chapter Six
For weeks after that, Treston went without intimate emotional contact with another man. After he stopped expecting Harlan to phone him, he realized he had to make a few changes in his life-otherwise he would continue to repeat the same mistakes until it was too late. So he stopped dating men, flirting with men, and connecting with men altogether. The only physical contact he had with men happened at work. This was all about money and survival and Treston didn't consider it a threat to his emotional well-being or his future. He'd learned how to separate sex and love early in life, which in his line of work had always been extremely important. And in some ways it helped brace him for the changes he knew he had to make.
During the day when he wasn't sleeping he would sit in front of his computer and look for ways to make his dismal situation better. He read about employment opportunities on Craigslist, getting college degrees from online universities, and reading websites authored by life coaches. This intense online reading was how he became cyber-friends with Cooper Boon, the man who had recused him on that dark day when Harlan had left him wandering naked at Lake Mead. After Treston had returned the sweatsuit to the ranger's station, Cooper Boon had tried to get in touch with him a few times. But Treston had no interest in getting involved with anyone, not even the man who had rescued him. But when Cooper insisted on getting to know him better, Treston persuaded him to join Facebook and he said they could keep in touch this way for a while. So they wound up reading mundane status updates and communicating through private messages three or four times a week. Cooper seemed to understand and he didn't push Treston too hard. He told Treston he didn't mind at all and he liked the idea of getting to know him better through social media. He also laughed and said they were doing it the opposite way most men did it nowadays.
Cooper Boon's laid-back attitude and his patience both impressed and terrified Treston in a way he couldn't quite figure out. On the one hand it made him feel hopeful there were a few decent men left in the world. Cooper didn't seem to want to use him, and he didn't have ulterior motives. When Treston explained his past to Cooper without going into explicit detail, Cooper said it didn't bother him in the least that he was a stripper or that he'd been with a lot of other men. On the other hand, Treston was cautious, as if Cooper were too good to be true. Treston had reached the point in life where he'd stopped trusting his own instincts. Harlan Rocks had taught him more than he'd ever wanted to know about men. He realized now he wasn't getting any younger and it might be wiser for him to look for an older, established man who would take good care of him, instead of looking for love and passion.
On his way to work one quiet Thursday night in the early spring, he spotted one of those long black SUV limousines in front of Chickey's club. Although it wasn't unusual to see long black limos like this in Vegas, they didn't usually pull up to Chickey's place on a weeknight.
As he approached the entrance, before he made the turn to head down the side alley where he usually entered through the stage door, he heard a couple of men arguing. He stopped walking and glanced at the bouncer who stood at the entrance on Thursday nights, a big burly guy everyone called Mickey J. When Mickey J. saw Treston, he shrugged and smiled. It was evident Mickey J. was enjoying the argument between the two men.
Treston hadn't had much entertainment in his life since Harlan had left, so he turned toward the entrance to see what the guys were arguing about. As he approached the back of a tall man wearing a formal tuxedo, he heard the handsome young blond man standing in front of him say, "Get your fucking hands off me. I'm going home. I will never forgive you for what you did."
Than man in the tuxedo seemed nonplussed; he didn't raise his voice or make any exaggerated gestures with his hands. "I'll make it up to you, sweetheart. I swear, whatever I did, I'm sorry I did it." He gestured to the limo and reached for the young blond guy's arms. "Just get into the car and calm down. You're making a scene."