Evidently, Kenny didn’t seem to mind Evan getting to know Carson better, and he proved this when he set a luncheon date with his English teacher and Evan.
Up until that meeting at the bistro in the Village, Evan and Carson had been getting together in the early evenings at the gym where Carson trained on Delancey Street. He wound up enjoying the training regimen boxers did more than he thought he would. He even learned how to fight, which made him feel more secure. Evan always told Kenny he was going to the gym after dinner. He didn’t lie. He just didn’t tell Kenny what gym he went to. And if the press was following him, they couldn’t fault him for going to a gym to work out.
After Evan and Carson worked out, they would meet in the small room at the back of the gym and share a few passionate moments together. They didn’t have much time; none of these encounters lasted more than fifteen or twenty minutes. Carson would basically pull down Evan’s shorts, bend him over the metal table, and fuck him until they both came. Sometimes Carson didn’t even pull down his boxing shorts. He seemed too excited. He would pull up the leg of his boxing shorts, pull his dick out of his jock strap, put on a condom, and spread Evan’s legs.
Although they shared a strong sexual attraction, Evan wasn’t sure it was emotional enough to leave Jeffery once and for all. That was another reason he decided not to mention anything about Carson to Kenny.
But Evan didn’t know what to think when he found out Kenny had arranged a meeting between them, without knowing they’d been seeing each other all along.
By the time Evan showed up at the bistro in the Village, Carson was already sitting at a small table waiting for him. Evan sat down and said, “I don’t understand why we have to be so formal. We could have talked about this at the gym tomorrow. When Kenny told me yesterday you wanted to meet me today to talk about his grades, I was actually kind of surprised.” They hadn’t seen each other in a few days because Evan had been busy working on a promotional piece for a website that focused on historical romances. And Evan had told Carson not to phone him unless it was absolutely necessary.
Carson blinked. “I didn’t want to meet you here. Kenny said you wanted to meet with me. I’m just as shocked. I figured we’d be seeing each other tomorrow anyway. And you told me not to call unless it was important. I figured I’d play it safe and not ask any questions so Kenny wouldn’t make any assumptions about us.”
Evan frowned and stared down at his lap. When he glanced up, he asked, “So what’s wrong with Kenny’s grades? Is he failing? I had a feeling all the stress from Jeffery and his moving in with me would catch up eventually.”
Carson blinked again. “He’s my best student. He’s not failing. What did you want to talk to me about?”
That was when Carson realized they’d been set up. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I have a feeling Kenny’s trying to tell us something.”
“I don’t understand.”
Evan shrugged and said, “It’s obvious this meeting was his attempt at getting us together. I think he’s actually trying to fix us up, and he has no idea we’ve been seeing each other all this time.”
“I guess I should be flattered,” Carson said. “Now we can stop sneaking around and being so secretive.” He’d already let Evan know he wasn’t fond of meeting him in the gym. He wanted to take him back to his loft and make love to him like civilized people.
Evan shook his head. “I know it sounds good,” he said. “But I know Kenny, and he’s only doing this because he’s still mad at Jeffery for getting involved with Darin Bloomberg. He wants to get even with Jeffery. And this is his way of protecting me. He thinks if I’m with someone stable like you, I can’t get hurt again. Besides, I don’t want our relationship to be public knowledge yet. That kind of news might not hurt my career, but it could hurt yours as a schoolteacher.”
“You have a point,” Carson said. “But I’m not worried about my job. I’ve been out of the closet for years and I’m not hiding anything from anyone.”
Evan hesitated. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing because he really liked Carson. He reached for his hand and held it tightly. “It’s not that simple. I’m still married to Jeffery and I’m not ready to let go of that yet.” This was getting more complicated than he wanted it to be.
“But he’s so bad for you,” Carson said. He leaned forward and looked into Evan’s eyes. “He’ll sleep with anyone, he’ll do anything to make money, and from what I’ve seen and heard, he has no morals or ethics to speak of. I know I’m not perfect, not by any means. I have my quirks just like any other guy. But I think I’m falling in love with you and I don’t want to sneak around with you anymore.”
Evan sat back and folded his hands on the table. “I’m sorry, Carson. I have to be honest with you. I can’t offer you anything more than what we have right now. I still love my husband, in spite of everything you just said. I have strong feelings for you. But I’m just not ready to say it’s over with Jeffery.”
“If you need more time, I can deal with that,” Carson said. “I’m curious about something. When was the last time you saw Jeffery?”
“We speak every day on the phone,” Evan said.
“I’m asking about the last time you saw him.”
Evan shrugged. “I haven’t seen him since before he went on that trip to California. It’s been weeks now.”
“Does he know about me?” Carson asked.
Evan nodded. “Yes, I’ve told him I’m seeing you regularly.”
“And he’s okay with that?”
Evan smiled, but he hesitated even longer. He couldn’t tell Carson the truth this time. When Evan had mentioned his relationship with Carson to Jeffery, Jeffery had laughed and said, “Have fun while it lasts. I’m sure he’s a competent stud horse.” Evan wasn’t surprised by Jeffery’s reaction. He knew Jeffery tended to be smug that way. Jeffery even said, “I know you still love me, and I also know no man will ever make you feel the way I do. I’m not worried at all.”
So Evan took a quick breath and answered Carson’s question without going into detail. “Jeffery is respecting the rules of our open marriage.” He couldn’t tell him Jeffery didn’t consider him serious competition. But more than that, Evan wasn’t sure how he felt about Carson yet. The only reason he continued to see him was because he thought he might be able to have a real relationship with someone who wasn’t interested in things like open marriages. He knew he might have to settle for second best, but it was worth it to get that kind of stability in his life.