Chapter 2
Rupert stood and looked around his new apartment. The movers had just arranged the last of his newly-bought furniture, and had walked out the door. Now he was alone, and he could take a deep breath and think about the last two months. He’d been so busy! At the business conference, he’d been offered a promotion and a raise by his bosses. The only caveat was that he had to relocate out here to work in the head office. So he’d had to move, find an apartment, get settled in at work…he’d had little time to think about anything else. But now…now he could think about other things.
His hand automatically went to his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and reached inside, finding the scrap of paper that he’d put there over two months ago. It had a phone number written on it in a bold hand. He stared at it, thinking hard. After Pike had kissed him in the car, he hadn’t had the nerve to call the other man. But he’d tucked the piece of paper away and tried hard not to think about it, only pulling it out occasionally late at night while thinking about the man who’d saved him at that convenience store.
Now he lived in the same city as Pike did. Before, anything besides a one-night stand would have been not only impractical, but impossible. But things were different now. Did he want to make the call? Did he? He was probably foolish for even considering it…someone like Pike had probably forgotten all about him when he hadn’t called right away. But he’d never know unless he tried…
Rupert pulled out his cell phone, even as he shook his head silently at his own folly. He put in the number on the piece of paper, noticing g that his fingers were shaking a little with nervousness. Dumb, he chided himself mentally. The worst thing that could happen is that he doesn’t even remember you. So what? It’s no big deal.
This helped a little. He pushed the ‘send’ button, and put the phone to his ear. It rang several times, then somebody picked up. “Yeah? Pike’s Peak, what can I do for you?”
“Err, hello,” Rupert said uncertainly. “Are you Pike, by any chance?”
“No, he’s in the back,” the voice answered. “You need to talk to him?”
“Yes, I’d like to, thank you,” Rupert said gratefully.
Silence, then he heard the voice calling out loudly: “Hey, Pike! Somebody wants to talk to you!”
He heard another voice respond faintly, then someone came back on the phone. “Yeah? This is Pike. What’s up?” That confident voice brought back strong memories for him.
“Hi, Pike,” he said shyly, feeing awkward and ridiculous. “You probably don’t remember me, but my name is Rupert and you saved me not long ago and helped me to find the Hilton...”
“Oh, Rupert. Course I remember you,” Pike replied. “How could I forget somebody with a name like that?”
“Oh. Umm…I know I never called you, but the truth is that I’ve moved here because I got promoted at work, and I kept your number, I don’t know why…”
A chuckle over the phone. “You don’t know why, huh? So do you want to finish what we started?”
“No! I mean…” he trailed off, his shoulders lifting defensively. “I don’t…I don’t do that kind of thing…”
“What kind of thing?” Pike asked, “Fucking?”
“Shh!” he hissed in horror, thinking of the first guy who’d answered the p hone and was probably standing nearby listening.
Pike laughed openly at him. “You’re funny, Rupert,” he remarked. “So if you didn’t call about us getting together to go at it like wild dogs, what did you call me for?”
He gritted his teeth together. “I thought that we might - you know - go out together or something,” he said between them.
Silence again. Then: “Are you actually asking me out on a date?” Pike said, sounding astonished.
“Yes, what of it? Is there something wrong with that?” Rupert asked defensively.
“No, I suppose not. Never been asked out on a date before this, that’s all,” Pike replied.
Rupert blinked. “Never?” he repeated incredulously.
Another laugh. “Nope. Had plenty of guys pick me up, but that was just for sex. You sure you don’t want to just have sex?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe in one-night stands,” Rupert said apologetically. “I’ll understand if that bothers you.”
“You’re a strange one. Still, you’re pretty interesting. Sure, I guess. You can take me out on a date. As long as you pay; I’m not rolling in dough.”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Rupert said, feeling a weird sensation of pleasure in his abdomen. “Should we meet somewhere?”
“Would you come and pick me up? I ride an old WWII motorcycle that I redid, but it gets the worst gas mileage ever.”
“I suppose I could do that. Where are you?” Rupert asked him.
Pike gave him the address, and he wrote it down. “You gonna be able to find it okay? How’s your GPS working for you?” Pike asked afterward, sounding amused.
“I’ll use a map,” Rupert replied tartly. ‘No more GPS for me.”
A laugh. “All right, then. What time are you coming? I have to let Zeke know so he can watch the bar for me while I’m gone.”
“Tonight at six? Bar?” Rupert said.
“Yeah, Pike’s Peak. My bar. I live over it, so you’ll have to come here to pick me up. You okay with that? You’re not going to be too scared, walking into a bar?”
“I’ll be fine,” Rupert said stiffly, aware that Pike was laughing at him again.
“Tonight at six, then. I’ll see you, Rupert. Hey, I don’t have to wear a suit or something? We’re not going to anyplace fancy, are we?”
Rupert tried to form an image of Pike in a suit, but it simply wouldn’t come. “We don’t have to,” he said. ‘I’ll look on the internet and see what kind of restaurants they have around here.”
“Hey, if you’re not set on anywhere, I know this little Italian place. It’s owned by the parents of a friend of mine. The food’s great, and it’s not too expensive or anything. And no suit or tie required,” he added with a chuckle.
“That sounds fine. You’ll have to show me how to get there,” Rupert replied.
“No problem. See you later, Rupert,” Pike hung up abruptly, leaving him feeling more than a tad bemused.
He’d done it. He’d actually asked Pike out on a date! He couldn’t believe that he’d had the nerve. Or that Pike had said yes. He was probably crazy - Pike was so different from him…would they have anything in common? Well, he supposed he’d find out tonight at six. For now, he decided to take a long hot bath and do some primping. He was sweaty and dusty from helping to haul furniture and boxes into his new apartment, and a luxurious bubble bath sounded wonderful to him right now.
Rupert tentatively pulled up in front of a two-story brick building, staring at it. There was a dark-green metal door, and bars soldered onto the window frames. Neon signs advertising different kids of beers flashed behind the bars. A couple of them had individual letters burned out. A sign hanging over the door had a crudely-painted picture of a mountain with snow on the tip, and the words ‘Pike’s Peak’ under the picture.
Well, he’d found the right place, anyway. Rupert got out of his car, locking the door and making sure all the windows were rolled up. He prayed it didn’t get stolen during the time he was in the bar. He hurried toward the green metal door, glancing around wildly. This neighborhood didn’t look safe. In fact, he was pretty sure that this bar was within a mile of the convenience store where Pike had saved him. He jerked the door open, darting into the dim interior and standing by the door looking around.
The inside of the bar was very dark. The patrons, mostly men, were seated at worn wooden tables drinking beers and hard liquor or were clustered around two pool tables. A TV was mounted on one wall, the channel turned to a football game. More neon signs hung on the walls, adding a little light to the dim interior. A large, red-haired man was standing behind the bar, wiping a glass out with a towel in a desultory manner. Rupert hesitantly walked over to him. “Hello,” he said.
The redhead lifted a single brow. “You lost?” he rumbled.
“Err, no. I’m here for Pike,” Rupert told him swiftly.
“Ah. You’re his date,” the man said this in a dry, rather unbelieving tone as he eyed Rupert.
“Yes, I am. Is he ready yet?” Rupert asked sharply, lifting his chin.
A shrug. “I’ll see. Wait here,” he strolled away toward the end of the bar, disappearing into a door back there. Rupert stood there and twitched a little, wanting out of this place. The way the patrons were looking at him…he felt like a gazelle surrounded by a hungry pride of lions.
The door reopened, and Pike emerged. He came striding around the bar, walking toward Rupert. “Hey, there,” he said casually. “How ya been?”
He was dressed in a leather jacket with buckles on it, over a t-shirt with a picture of a skull with a snake crawling through its eyeholes. Rupert noted that his mohawk had been trimmed a bit, and that the tips were no longer a rainbow mélange. Instead, he’d dyed the tips pure white, which made him look like a dangerous skunk. The jaw line beard was gone, and had been replaced by a devilish-looking goatee. The ring through his nostril was also gone, and instead a small stud set with a black jewel was in its place.
“I’m fine. I’ve been really busy,” Rupert said hurriedly, when he realized that he’d been staring, “What about you?”
“This place keeps soul and body together, but it’s not a hive of activity,” Pike remarked dryly. “Anyway, Zeke, I’ll be back later.”
“Sure thing, boss. I’ll watch the bar,” the redhead replied. “You have a nice date,” he added sardonically.
“Shove it, Zeke. Come on, Rupert. Let’s go,” Pike grabbed his elbow and towed him out of the bar, which was fine by him. Outside, Pike released his elbow and nodded at his car. “I’d bet that’s yours,” he said. “None of my customers would have a nice car like that.”
“Yes,” Rupert said, fumbling out his car keys. Pike took them deftly from his fingers and opened the passenger’s side door with them. Then he handed them back to Rupert. “There ya go,” he said with a grin. Rupert went around to his side, as Pike got into the car and settled in his seat. Rupert started to say something about him putting on a seat belt, then changed his mind.
“Where do we go?” he asked instead.
“I’ll direct you. You already know that I can do that,” Pike said humorously, as Rupert pulled away from the curb.
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Rupert stood and looked around his new apartment. The movers had just arranged the last of his newly-bought furniture, and had walked out the door. Now he was alone, and he could take a deep breath and think about the last two months. He’d been so busy! At the business conference, he’d been offered a promotion and a raise by his bosses. The only caveat was that he had to relocate out here to work in the head office. So he’d had to move, find an apartment, get settled in at work…he’d had little time to think about anything else. But now…now he could think about other things.
His hand automatically went to his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and reached inside, finding the scrap of paper that he’d put there over two months ago. It had a phone number written on it in a bold hand. He stared at it, thinking hard. After Pike had kissed him in the car, he hadn’t had the nerve to call the other man. But he’d tucked the piece of paper away and tried hard not to think about it, only pulling it out occasionally late at night while thinking about the man who’d saved him at that convenience store.
Now he lived in the same city as Pike did. Before, anything besides a one-night stand would have been not only impractical, but impossible. But things were different now. Did he want to make the call? Did he? He was probably foolish for even considering it…someone like Pike had probably forgotten all about him when he hadn’t called right away. But he’d never know unless he tried…
Rupert pulled out his cell phone, even as he shook his head silently at his own folly. He put in the number on the piece of paper, noticing g that his fingers were shaking a little with nervousness. Dumb, he chided himself mentally. The worst thing that could happen is that he doesn’t even remember you. So what? It’s no big deal.
This helped a little. He pushed the ‘send’ button, and put the phone to his ear. It rang several times, then somebody picked up. “Yeah? Pike’s Peak, what can I do for you?”
“Err, hello,” Rupert said uncertainly. “Are you Pike, by any chance?”
“No, he’s in the back,” the voice answered. “You need to talk to him?”
“Yes, I’d like to, thank you,” Rupert said gratefully.
Silence, then he heard the voice calling out loudly: “Hey, Pike! Somebody wants to talk to you!”
He heard another voice respond faintly, then someone came back on the phone. “Yeah? This is Pike. What’s up?” That confident voice brought back strong memories for him.
“Hi, Pike,” he said shyly, feeing awkward and ridiculous. “You probably don’t remember me, but my name is Rupert and you saved me not long ago and helped me to find the Hilton...”
“Oh, Rupert. Course I remember you,” Pike replied. “How could I forget somebody with a name like that?”
“Oh. Umm…I know I never called you, but the truth is that I’ve moved here because I got promoted at work, and I kept your number, I don’t know why…”
A chuckle over the phone. “You don’t know why, huh? So do you want to finish what we started?”
“No! I mean…” he trailed off, his shoulders lifting defensively. “I don’t…I don’t do that kind of thing…”
“What kind of thing?” Pike asked, “Fucking?”
“Shh!” he hissed in horror, thinking of the first guy who’d answered the p hone and was probably standing nearby listening.
Pike laughed openly at him. “You’re funny, Rupert,” he remarked. “So if you didn’t call about us getting together to go at it like wild dogs, what did you call me for?”
He gritted his teeth together. “I thought that we might - you know - go out together or something,” he said between them.
Silence again. Then: “Are you actually asking me out on a date?” Pike said, sounding astonished.
“Yes, what of it? Is there something wrong with that?” Rupert asked defensively.
“No, I suppose not. Never been asked out on a date before this, that’s all,” Pike replied.
Rupert blinked. “Never?” he repeated incredulously.
Another laugh. “Nope. Had plenty of guys pick me up, but that was just for sex. You sure you don’t want to just have sex?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe in one-night stands,” Rupert said apologetically. “I’ll understand if that bothers you.”
“You’re a strange one. Still, you’re pretty interesting. Sure, I guess. You can take me out on a date. As long as you pay; I’m not rolling in dough.”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Rupert said, feeling a weird sensation of pleasure in his abdomen. “Should we meet somewhere?”
“Would you come and pick me up? I ride an old WWII motorcycle that I redid, but it gets the worst gas mileage ever.”
“I suppose I could do that. Where are you?” Rupert asked him.
Pike gave him the address, and he wrote it down. “You gonna be able to find it okay? How’s your GPS working for you?” Pike asked afterward, sounding amused.
“I’ll use a map,” Rupert replied tartly. ‘No more GPS for me.”
A laugh. “All right, then. What time are you coming? I have to let Zeke know so he can watch the bar for me while I’m gone.”
“Tonight at six? Bar?” Rupert said.
“Yeah, Pike’s Peak. My bar. I live over it, so you’ll have to come here to pick me up. You okay with that? You’re not going to be too scared, walking into a bar?”
“I’ll be fine,” Rupert said stiffly, aware that Pike was laughing at him again.
“Tonight at six, then. I’ll see you, Rupert. Hey, I don’t have to wear a suit or something? We’re not going to anyplace fancy, are we?”
Rupert tried to form an image of Pike in a suit, but it simply wouldn’t come. “We don’t have to,” he said. ‘I’ll look on the internet and see what kind of restaurants they have around here.”
“Hey, if you’re not set on anywhere, I know this little Italian place. It’s owned by the parents of a friend of mine. The food’s great, and it’s not too expensive or anything. And no suit or tie required,” he added with a chuckle.
“That sounds fine. You’ll have to show me how to get there,” Rupert replied.
“No problem. See you later, Rupert,” Pike hung up abruptly, leaving him feeling more than a tad bemused.
He’d done it. He’d actually asked Pike out on a date! He couldn’t believe that he’d had the nerve. Or that Pike had said yes. He was probably crazy - Pike was so different from him…would they have anything in common? Well, he supposed he’d find out tonight at six. For now, he decided to take a long hot bath and do some primping. He was sweaty and dusty from helping to haul furniture and boxes into his new apartment, and a luxurious bubble bath sounded wonderful to him right now.
Rupert tentatively pulled up in front of a two-story brick building, staring at it. There was a dark-green metal door, and bars soldered onto the window frames. Neon signs advertising different kids of beers flashed behind the bars. A couple of them had individual letters burned out. A sign hanging over the door had a crudely-painted picture of a mountain with snow on the tip, and the words ‘Pike’s Peak’ under the picture.
Well, he’d found the right place, anyway. Rupert got out of his car, locking the door and making sure all the windows were rolled up. He prayed it didn’t get stolen during the time he was in the bar. He hurried toward the green metal door, glancing around wildly. This neighborhood didn’t look safe. In fact, he was pretty sure that this bar was within a mile of the convenience store where Pike had saved him. He jerked the door open, darting into the dim interior and standing by the door looking around.
The inside of the bar was very dark. The patrons, mostly men, were seated at worn wooden tables drinking beers and hard liquor or were clustered around two pool tables. A TV was mounted on one wall, the channel turned to a football game. More neon signs hung on the walls, adding a little light to the dim interior. A large, red-haired man was standing behind the bar, wiping a glass out with a towel in a desultory manner. Rupert hesitantly walked over to him. “Hello,” he said.
The redhead lifted a single brow. “You lost?” he rumbled.
“Err, no. I’m here for Pike,” Rupert told him swiftly.
“Ah. You’re his date,” the man said this in a dry, rather unbelieving tone as he eyed Rupert.
“Yes, I am. Is he ready yet?” Rupert asked sharply, lifting his chin.
A shrug. “I’ll see. Wait here,” he strolled away toward the end of the bar, disappearing into a door back there. Rupert stood there and twitched a little, wanting out of this place. The way the patrons were looking at him…he felt like a gazelle surrounded by a hungry pride of lions.
The door reopened, and Pike emerged. He came striding around the bar, walking toward Rupert. “Hey, there,” he said casually. “How ya been?”
He was dressed in a leather jacket with buckles on it, over a t-shirt with a picture of a skull with a snake crawling through its eyeholes. Rupert noted that his mohawk had been trimmed a bit, and that the tips were no longer a rainbow mélange. Instead, he’d dyed the tips pure white, which made him look like a dangerous skunk. The jaw line beard was gone, and had been replaced by a devilish-looking goatee. The ring through his nostril was also gone, and instead a small stud set with a black jewel was in its place.
“I’m fine. I’ve been really busy,” Rupert said hurriedly, when he realized that he’d been staring, “What about you?”
“This place keeps soul and body together, but it’s not a hive of activity,” Pike remarked dryly. “Anyway, Zeke, I’ll be back later.”
“Sure thing, boss. I’ll watch the bar,” the redhead replied. “You have a nice date,” he added sardonically.
“Shove it, Zeke. Come on, Rupert. Let’s go,” Pike grabbed his elbow and towed him out of the bar, which was fine by him. Outside, Pike released his elbow and nodded at his car. “I’d bet that’s yours,” he said. “None of my customers would have a nice car like that.”
“Yes,” Rupert said, fumbling out his car keys. Pike took them deftly from his fingers and opened the passenger’s side door with them. Then he handed them back to Rupert. “There ya go,” he said with a grin. Rupert went around to his side, as Pike got into the car and settled in his seat. Rupert started to say something about him putting on a seat belt, then changed his mind.
“Where do we go?” he asked instead.
“I’ll direct you. You already know that I can do that,” Pike said humorously, as Rupert pulled away from the curb.
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