Perfect Man

Chapter 1-3

Craig glanced over the wine list, glad Alex hadn’t turned down his invitation to dinner. He’d never met anyone as prickly as the man across from him.

He did remember Alex now, but he couldn’t believe he was still hung up over something that happened so long ago.

Hell, the guy was a f*****g god. Didn’t he know he was every gay man’s wet dream? Not surprising for a moment he’d thought he might be a model or something.

Had Jill really told him her brother-in-law had dumped this guy? Unbelievable.

He stole a quick glance at Alex, whose nose was buried in the menu. Alex had sandy brown hair with streaks of gold as though he spent a lot of time in the California sun. Though he wore a suit, Craig didn’t miss the broad shoulders hiding under the suit coat. He could just imagine Alex’s biceps. Slightly shorter than his own height, Craig would put Alex at about six feet or maybe six feet one inch. He definitely looked like he worked out and his skin was lightly tanned once again as though he spent time in the sun, but was not exactly a sunbather. His eyes were…He stared hard at Alex, willing him to look up.

Alex must have felt his stare for he glanced up from the menu. “Did you pick a wine?”

Gray! His eyes were gray like pewter. Wow. He really was a god. Craig shifted in his chair to relieve the pressure of his painful erection.

“Hmm?”

“Wine?”

“Oh, yes, would you rather have white or red?”

Alex shrugged, his broad shoulders stretching the coat. “I know you’re supposed to drink red with steak but I personally like white. Sauvignon Blanc preferably.”

“Then that’s what we’ll get. I like it too.”

Craig ordered the wine from the waiter and then picked up his own menu. He hoped they were over the awkwardness of what had happened in high school.

He’d be the first to admit he wasn’t always the nicest guy. Home life had sucked and he hadn’t been lying to Alex when he told him he’d been struggling with his own sexuality. At the time his father had been dying of cancer and his mother couldn’t handle the emotional strain. Craig had kept a lot of s**t inside.

“So what do you do for a living?” he asked without looking up from the menu.

“Jill didn’t tell you?” Alex had set his menu down and was now buttering a slice of sourdough. “I’m a literary agent.”

“Yeah?” He did lower his menu then. “Don’t you have to be in New York or something?”

“Not anymore. A common misconception. There’s this thing called the internet and email and the telephone. I make several trips a year, too, to meet with editors in person. It’s no big deal anymore. Plus I handle several screenwriters.”

Craig smiled when the waitress returned with the wine and offered him a taste. He nodded and she poured full glasses for both of them. After they’d ordered and she left their table, he said, “I guess you know I’m an accountant since I work with Jill.”

“Yeah, I figured. I’m a little surprised though.”

“Really why?”

Alex flushed. “Well, to be honest you sort of struck me as a dumb jock.”

“Right. Because I played football I don’t have a brain.” Craig had been dealing with the stereotype most of his life. Athletes weren’t gay either. Or so the stereotype went.

“Since you were a bit of an asshole to me I didn’t really stop to analyze you too much,” Alex said dryly.

Craig toyed with his wineglass. “Yeah. We were friends before you—”

“Came out? Yeah. Not like best buddies or anything, but we went to the same schools pretty much all our lives.”

Craig felt his face heat. He really had been a jerk. He wasn’t anymore…or at least he hoped he wasn’t. But he didn’t know if Alex would allow him to prove he had changed. At least he’d agreed to dinner.

“So,” Alex said, taking a healthy sip of his wine. “I guess this is the part with the awkward small talk. Obviously you aren’t in a relationship if you’re going out on blind dates. Or are you?”

Craig winced at the accusing tone. He couldn’t get a break with this guy. He was getting a little annoyed. “No, I am not in a relationship. I had a boyfriend two years ago but he died.” The lie slipped out so easily.

“Oh.” Now it was Alex’s turn to blush. “Um, sorry. AIDS?”

“No. Not every gay guy who dies had that,” Craig snapped.

“I know.”

“He died of leukemia.” Just like his father.

“Were you together long?”

Craig shook his head. “Just a year. It was only a few months when we found out he was sick. Anyway, what a depressing subject. How about you?”

“Well, Jill must have told you. I was dating her husband’s brother.”

“She said you broke up.”

“He dumped me, actually,” Alex said. “I was working a lot at the time. Truth is I didn’t pay a lot of attention to Travis and well…he decided I was a workaholic and he needed someone who spent more time with him.”

* * * *

Dinner hadn’t been so terrible, Alex thought, as they walked back to the parking garage holding their cars. Craig paid, though he’d protested.

It was cool out. The showers that threatened to fall all day had finally started. The cold made Craig’s cheeks turn a very attractive shade of pink. In spite of himself, Alex found it charming. The man was still the finest-looking guy he’d ever seen. His c**k thought so too, because as he approached the aisle his car was down, his erection pressed against his boxers.

“My car’s down here. Where’s yours?”

“Up two levels.” Craig glanced toward the nearby elevator. “Listen, I really enjoyed meeting you…I mean meeting you again. I know I’m not your favorite person, but I’d like to see you again. Maybe a movie tomorrow night?”

“No.”

Craig’s expression showed his disappointment. He smiled a little crookedly. “Okay. Well, it was nice—”

“I meant no to the movie,” Alex interrupted. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. Why don’t you come over and I’ll make you dinner.”

“I’d really love that.”

Alex smiled for the first time that night. So he was taking a bit of a chance. He felt okay about it. Which was a good thing, he supposed.

“Give me your number and I’ll call you with the time.”

After they exchanged numbers, Alex waited until Craig got in the elevator before going into his own car.

“I hope I don’t regret this,” he said aloud.

* * * *

“Whatever you’re cooking smells amazing,” Craig commented before taking a swallow of his beer. He was sitting on a stool at the bar just outside the kitchen. Alex, who stood in the kitchen stirring a large pot, wore an apron with a French chef appliqué.

Alex had a three-bedroom condominium in Santa Monica not far from the beach. He’d given Craig a tour when he first arrived. There was a great view of the ocean from the master bedroom on the top floor.

“Just spaghetti.”

“That doesn’t smell like jarred sauce.”

Alex laughed. “It’s not. I make it myself. I’ve always liked to dabble in the kitchen. At one time I even considered going to chef school.”

“Really? I had no idea. So why did you become a literary agent?”

Alex shrugged. “I loved books and worked for a small publisher for a time. Then for a couple of years I moved to New York and worked for an agent there. I liked it. What made you decide to be an accountant? I never would have expected a CPA out of you.”

“My father was one.” For some reason it made him feel closer to his father after he died. A feeling of closeness he’d lost even before the death. It never got easier to talk about his father, Craig realized with a heavy heart. It hurt like hell.

“I didn’t know you lost your father, sorry.” Alex pulled out a colander out of cabinet and set it in the sink.

“Yeah. Actually…he died while I was in high school.” Craig cleared his throat and then took a swig of his beer.

“Man, I didn’t know. I’m sorry. That had to be really tough.”

Craig nodded and looked away. “That was a really bad time for me. Dad got sick and my mom didn’t handle it well. Anyway, I don’t really want to talk about that. It’s too depressing.”

“Dinner’s ready. You want wine?”

“I’m okay with the beer.”

“Terrific, then it’s served.”