You in My Arms

Chapter 1-2

“Doesn’t make any difference, she’s not here?”

Kitty didn’t work to get rid of him. What would? “Where would this take place, the f**k you’re offering?” Jason asked, looking around, admittedly curious.

“I own this club with my partner. We have an apartment that we use upstairs if it’s too late to drive home, one of us is either too tired, or if we meet a special someone in the bar. Besides, in case you didn’t notice, there’s a hotel attached to the club. We’re not so full that I can’t commandeer a room. It’s early yet. I’ve had a hard-on for you all night, kid. The curly hair and hazel eyes do it for me. But I don’t do encores.”

Who did this guy think he was? What the hell did Bobby tell him? “No offense, mister, I don’t do one-night stands.” Jason got up off the stool. His feet were unsteady and the room was a bit tilted but Jason was ready to go back to his friends and deck Bobby for sticking him with this guy.

The guy grabbed him by the arm. “I can make it really good for you, baby.”

I bet you could. You look like you’ve had lots of experience. “Look, Mr. Montgomery, I’m sorry my friend bothered you. After I explain, I don’t think you’re going to be interested in me.” Now tell him and get the hell away from him before you succumb. Think of Kitty. “See, I’m a virgin—a virgin with a four-year-old sister who is my responsibility. Most guys don’t want to be bothered with virgins unless there is a relationship in the offing. If they get past the virgin thing, they can’t get past the four-year-old. So, I guess I’m not your f**k for this evening.” That should do it.

Jason started to walk away.

* * * *

To Zach’s amazement, Jason’s casual announcement of his virginal status sent him from half hard to ramrod stiff in two seconds flat. I am so going to tap that ass…What’s up with that? Deflowering virgins was not something he was prone to do. Too much time in preparation and then there was the soothing and cuddling they expected afterward. No, virgins were not for him. I don’t f**k virgins. But this guy had him both curious and aroused enough to disregard his rule and get himself one gorgeous virgin’s company for the rest of the night. He’d deflower that ass three or four times tonight.

Zach never had to troll for bed partners; they came to him. However, Jason pushed all of his buttons. He’d looked good from the end of the bar, up close he looked even better. An athletic build—he heard something about soccer champions—broad shoulders and the gorgeous light brown curly hair that he wanted to run his fingers through and a pair of sparkling hazel eyes. Add in the a six-pack visible through his tight T-shirt, the strong, muscled limbs, and the full bottom lip made to pout—his dream man sat beside him on the barstool. Jason’s refusal and his reference to a four-year-old made him even more compelling. I have to get this guy’s story. Jason was having to lean against the bar for stability. “Your friend said you bartend on weekends?”

* * * *

“Yeah, so…” Jason hoped he wasn’t babbling.

“Are you any good?”

Now his pride started talking without his conscious permission. “Last Saturday I was the only bartender on duty, two others called in sick, everyone got served, and no one complained.” And that was the only reason he got out tonight.

“Where do you work?”

“The Ocean View Bar in Point Pleasant.” Jason answered. It was common knowledge that the Ocean View was a busy bar, nothing like this, but very busy.

“They only get the college frat boys looking to hook up with a girl. They don’t tip well because they have no money and they only drink cheap beer. I usually get a more sophisticated crowd with money to burn, and they’re your kind of folk,” Zach said bragging a bit.

“Your point is?” Jason was holding on to the bar in order to stand up straight.

* * * *

“If you won’t take me up on my offer for a f**k, maybe I could offer you a job then f**k you later. You’re hot and my customers like hot. I pay minimum wage plus tips and since this is a gay club, there are endless possibilities for your first shot.” Zach didn’t know why that came out of his mouth.

He wanted first shot at tapping this boy’s ass, but he’d have more of a chance of getting that shot if they became better acquainted. He’d already told him that he didn’t do relationships but maybe he’d like to f**k that ass more than once. It was a very nice ass, high and muscled under the tight 501s. Despite the worn T-shirt and almost white with wear jeans, he looked like a class act.

“I don’t s**t where I eat.”

“Keep up with the conversation, kid. If I propositioned you while you work for me it would be s****l harassment. The f**k is officially off the table. I need a good bartender more than I do a one-night stand.”

“Your offer would certainly help my finances—but in lieu of our prior conversation, I’m afraid I’m a little skeptical, so I have to decline,” Jason said morosely.

The liquor was getting to him. He was drunk off his ass but still lucid, that was unusual.

“Think a lot of yourself, don’t you kid.” It was apparent to Zach that the kid was a lightweight and couldn’t hold his liquor. If he pushed, he knew he could have him, lucid or not. He was surprised he wasn’t walking up to the apartment with the kid in tow. Any other night, any other guy, and he would be burning up the sheets in the bed upstairs with the kid screaming his name. What’s with this kid that I won’t take no and walk away? Why am I pushing so hard?

“I told you I took the offer of a f**k off the table.” Zach narrowed his eyes waiting to see what Jason would do next.

Jason was quiet for a few minutes, almost as if he had sobered up. “I can only work weekends, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights and maybe one day during the week if I can get a sitter, but the tips have to be worth the price I pay for the sitter and I can’t start until nine as I put Kitty to bed at eight thirty. I need to spend time with her, and I work at Paper Clips in the computer department during the daytime.”

“I don’t really need extra bartenders until after nine. Tonight’s a slow night—the place is usually much busier than this.”

Jason looked behind him. “You’ve got them lined up six deep at three bars, plus five waiters working the tables.”

“I usually have a line running twice around the block. There are only about twenty guys outside waiting to get in, like I said, a slow night.”

“How much do your bartenders make?”

“The way you look, with a tighter T-shirt and a pair of shorts that showed off your ass, you could do at least five hundred a night on Friday and Saturday, more if you get to know your customers and hustle.” Zach smiled. He had him. Once he’s here…

“I’d have to give the Ocean View notice. I never know when I might need them for a reference.” Jason thought aloud. “Maybe I could get Kitty into better day care and a few dollars put away for school. Mrs. Schwartz might be able to babysit one more night a week.” He turned to Zach and looking hopeful, asked, “You don’t happen to offer insurance do you?”

This kid was responsible. He was pretty drunk just as Zach presumed but still managed to ask pertinent questions. Well, he showed me his, I’ll show him mine. “Let me tell you a story kid. I used to be a football player. A star wide receiver in college—got recruited for the Cowboys in the first round of the draft. I was the number one pick that year.”

“That’s where I heard your name before, it sounded kind of familiar.” Jason interrupted to Zach’s annoyance.

“Anyway, the Cowboys offered me a shitload of money. The first week of training camp I blew four tendons in my knee. I had my signing bonus and salary because I had insurance in case of an injury sustained on the field. The policy was written for the amount of my salary for rest of my contract which ran six years. If my agent hadn’t insisted on insurance for a career ending injury when I signed, I would have been both broke and injured when I limped out of camp. Sure they took care of the injury but Sam Stein knew what he was doing negotiating for that insurance guarantying my salary. Because Sam insisted on them providing me with that insurance, my business partner and I were able to pool our funds and buy this bar and several other businesses around town.”

“Wow,” the kid said. He seemed impressed. “It sounds like it was a good thing you had Sam Stein on your side. Hey, isn’t he the one who played drums for Shattered Glass?”

“Yeah, he’s the one. My brother-in-law has a friend from college, Jake Cohen, who is a contracts attorney. Jake acted as my lawyer and insisted I take Sam on as my agent. He also represents Gary Sayer and minimized the damage when he came out. I was happy I listened and didn’t go off half-cocked.”

At least the kid wasn’t a sloppy drunk. He looks like he barely drinks at all, another point in his favor. What is this, points in his favor? Am I evaluating a potential employee or a more than casual f**k? That ass sure is enticing, the whole package is enticing, Christ, where am I going with this? He shook his head. Forget his ass and get your head back in the game.

Zach continued, “After what happened to me, I believe in insurance, I offer full medical, dental, disability, and life insurance, and I pay minimum wage because I know how important all that was to me. I would expect you to work your ass off, but I pay well and the entire cost of the insurance is paid for by the management. Our insurance is better than a platinum level ACA policy.” Zach looked Jason up and down.

“Paper Clips offer a Bronze level ACA plan that doesn’t extend to dependents if you’re part-time—and no one pays minimum wage at a bar or a club,” Jason said with suspicion.

“I do. I do a lot of things differently.”

“I don’t s**t where I eat,” Jason repeated, this time with a twinge of sadness in his voice.

“I told you I’d take the f**k off the table.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Or at least for tonight.

The kid’s eyes suddenly looked brighter. “I can start next weekend.”

“Come to my office. I promise, no funny business. I’ll give you a couple of the T-shirts we use as a uniform. Come in a little early on Friday night, you can fill out your paperwork then.”

* * * *

Jason peered through the darkness walking around the crowded dance floor and finally found his friends at two tables pushed together near the back of the club. He had his new T-shirts in hand.

“Are you going to tell us to go home without you? Did he make you an offer you couldn’t refuse?” Bobby leered.

“Yeah.” Jason smiled. “He did and it came with a T-shirt.”

“Well dude, what are you still doing hanging with us?” Bobby and Reggie downed another shot.

“Because he offered me something better than a one-off f**k, he offered me a job with good health insurance.”

Reggie shook his head in disgust. “When did you turn into such an old man?”

Jason’s face got serious. “When my parents died and left me Kitty.”

Reggie had the grace to look shamefaced.

“If Jason’s got no takers, let’s get out of here,” Reggie said. His parents had hired the limousine for the evening, so no one would drive drunk. Jeremy collected the tip money and put it on the table, paid the tab, and the party adjourned to the car with a bottle of champagne, to hit the next watering hole. Since it was his birthday, Jason didn’t have to lay out a dime. But he still left a twenty on the table for the waiter. He’d be working with this guy next week.

Bobby said in an indignant tone, “It isn’t that Jason had no takers, he wasn’t interested in the guy.”

Jeremy countered with, “Jason, you’re losing it. I’m as straight as an arrow and even I thought he was hot.”

As they were getting back into the limousine, Bert said, “Since you’re not looking to get laid and we are, we’re moving on to the next bar. You can come with us but it’s a titty bar.”

“I don’t need girl bits waving in my nose tonight. But thanks Reggie, guys, I had a great time.”

“I’ll have the driver drop you off home.”

Bobby said, a bit morose, “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Reg’s right. The guy was hot.”

“You don’t understand…It worked out fine, really fine.”

“You can explain that to me again tomorrow when I come over with Kitty. Right now I’m not sober enough to understand why you wouldn’t want to get laid by a guy even we consider to be a hot stud.” Bobby stumbled into the car. Jason pushed Bobby into the back seat and got in after him.

The limousine dropped Jason off at his house in Oakhurst. That’s another thing—this job will do. It will save me money on gas. Asbury Park is a hell of a lot closer than Point Pleasant.

He was working at the Ocean View the night his parents died. Then, it was his summer job. He’d worked bagging groceries last winter when the Ocean View closed for the season. The Ocean View and The Sunset Club were completely different animals. The Sunset Club was open year round and always hopping. The gay denizens of Asbury Park and the surrounding towns had taken to the place and it was busy all year long, but in the summer, it was crazy. On the other hand, the Ocean View closed from October until April which left him bagging groceries for the winter on the graveyard shift at Acme. It made for a lean Christmas. Bobby and Reggie got the guys to ante up for Christmas presents for Kitty and a gag gift for him. It wasn’t the only time his soccer friends had saved his ass during the previous year.

Tonight was the first time he’d ever been inside the Sunset Club. When he was eighteen, he couldn’t wait to go there; the Sunset Club was touted to be the best gay bar on the shore. Once he got his license, he drove by there every Friday and Saturday night, dying to get inside or hoping to pick up some stray guy having a smoke outside. It never happened—the action was all inside. Especially with the hotel attached. Even with a good fake ID the bouncers turned him away. Then, when he turned twenty-one everything fell apart and he didn’t want be anywhere but with Kitty and occasionally, Bobby and Reggie. Tonight was his coming out party of sorts. Now he was going to work at the Sunset Club. Life was strange…sometimes it took lemons and made lemonade.