Sherman wasn’t the least bit insulted. He simply got out of bed, put on his clothes, and kissed Jase goodnight. He even remembered to leave Jase some cash. It was really Jase’s money, not Sherman’s. When Jase had decided to move to New York, he’d set up a bank account in Sherman’s name and now he depended on Sherman to give him money when he needed it. For the time being, Jase didn’t want anyone in his real life to know where he was or what he was doing. Without Sherman’s help, people would have been able to track Jase down through his own bank accounts and credit cards.
There was nothing sinister or criminal about what Jase was doing. He checked in with people close to him three times a week without giving them any details. He’d told everyone in his life he was going on a spiritual pilgrimage for a few months, which wasn’t a complete lie. He just wanted complete privacy for a short time, to find out who he was and what the next half of his life would be about. With his high-profile reputation in the financial world, he wouldn’t have been able to do this without some help from a man like Sherman.
Sherman could have been insulted by the rejection and he could have threatened to expose Jase, which was the last thing Jase wanted. If Sherman became mad at Jase the experiment would be ruined and he’d never find out who he was. And Jase could have just had casual sex with Sherman—it was all he seemed to want—and all this would have been so much easier. But Jase had never had sex with a man, and he didn’t want his first time to be with Sherman. Though Sherman was attractive enough, and Jase had a feeling he was probably wonderful in bed, Jase wasn’t in love with him. Jase had waited too many years and missed too many opportunities to take love lightly. Jase had experienced more things in his life than most people could dream about, but he’d never experienced what it was like to have sex with someone he truly loved. At this point in his life, after working so hard for so many years, he wasn’t about to settle for anything less.
So after Sherman kissed him on the cheek and left the apartment, Jase took a deep breath and sighed. He was tired and all he wanted to do was close his eyes. Then, a moment after Sherman left, Luis knocked on his window. When Jase thought about how cute Luis looked sitting on the windowsill, trying to avoid the drama happening in his own apartment, he couldn’t stop smiling.
Jase had been wondering about Luis all day. He hoped he hadn’t offended Luis the night before. It was one of the reasons he’d taken a long walk through the park. When Luis just jumped out of his bed without a reasonable explanation, Jase wasn’t sure what had happened.
After Jase left the grocery store, He returned to his apartment to prepare dinner for Sherman. When he opened the front door and turned to the left, he saw a small note taped to his mailbox. At first he thought it was from Sherman. But when he pulled it from the box and started to read it, he smiled and shook his head.
Sorry I was such an asshole last night. I didn’t mean to freak out like that, but I had an awful nightmare. I’m having a few people over for drinks tonight at my place. I’d love it if you could come. Around eight thirteen…if you’re not busy with your interior designer friend, that is.
Luis Fortune Jase put the note in his pocket and smiled. Luis had signed his last name with such a formal, professional flair. He’d even added a few wisps and curls to the E at the end of his name.
It was a shame Jase couldn’t go to the party because of his plans with Sherman. He was curuious to see the type of people with whom Luis socialized.
He jogged up five flights so he could take a short nap before Sherman arrived.
When he opened the door, the telephone in his bedroom started to ring before he had a chance to put down the grocery bag. He ran to the bedroom and picked it up, placing the groceries on the floor beside the desk. He didn’t bother to check the caller ID. The only person who knew this number was Sherman.
“Hey,” Sherman said. “I’m not going to be able to make it tonight. I have a last-minute dinner with clients from East Hampton. I’m redesigning their home and they want to go over a few details tonight. They’re leaving for Paris and they insist.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Jase said. “I even bought groceries. I was going to cook tonight.” He was only going to toss salad and slice bread. But to him, that was cooking.
“Are you terribly upset?” Sherman asked. “If you are, I can get out of this.” Since Jase had moved to New York, Sherman’s voice sounded more seductive and coy than usual. He didn’t actually flirt. But the underlying message was becoming more apparent with each conversation.
“No,” Jase said. “I’m fine. You have a wonderful dinner and we’ll talk tomorrow.
Business comes first.” He kept his voice even and stoic. It was best for Sherman if he didn’t flirt back and encourage him, and this way Jase would be able to go to Luis’s cocktail party after all.
* * * *
Jase didn’t knock on Luis’s door until after eight thirty that evening. He didn’t want to be the first one to arrive and forced to make small talk with people he didn’t know. The man who answered the door, however, didn’t seem to mind talking to people he didn’t know. He welcomed Jase into Luis’s apartment, escorted him to the small kitchen where the drinks were being made, and spoke to him as if they’d known each other all their lives. When Jase said he wanted vodka with a splash of water, the guy reached for a bottle of the most expensive vodka money could buy.
“I’m Michael,” he said. “I’ve known Luis for about a year now. I work for a modeling agency.” He smiled nonstop and spoke with a lighthearted lisp. He looked about the same age as Jase, but he could have been slightly younger. Though he was about twenty pounds overweight, he was wearing a tight black short-sleeved shirt and tight black low-rise slacks made out of a stretchy-looking material. His paunch pulled the fabric of the tight shirt and fell over the waistband of his slacks; his perky little man-breasts pointed out and drooped in opposite directions. When he turned to make Jase a drink, his rear end was as wide as it was square.
While Jase waited for his drink, he put his hands in his pockets and smiled. At least he felt comfortable about what he was wearing: a white shirt, low-rise jeans, and black shoes. When he looked around the room and saw what other people were wearing, he knew he wasn’t too formal or too casual. There were already little clusters of people talking in different sections of the small apartment. There was a group of women standing near the window. They were holding bottles of beer and laughing about something. A couple of them had long hair and were wearing dresses. But most had men’s haircuts and they were wearing baggy sweatsuits and running shoes.