A Walk Through Fire (5 page)

A sound from farther down the hallway snapped Ash out of postorgasmic bliss to full awareness of how open and foolhardy they had been. Although his table was the last one occupied in the restaurant, there were still waitstaff about, and Ash hardly thought the management would appreciate one of their employees blowing a patron in full view of anyone who might walk by. He didn’t care who saw him, but he didn’t want to get the kid fired. Contrary to what people might think of him, he did have a conscience, sometimes.

“Well, see you around.” He rubbed the young man’s shoulder, then walked away. As he approached the entrance, he noticed the swinging doors to the hallway were in motion, as if someone had recently passed through them.

Did someone see him with the waiter?

Chapter Four

After Jordan left the restaurant, Drew sat for a few moments, sipping his coffee, reviewing what they’d discussed. The night had been a success as far as he could tell, and now everyone was in place with their job to do. For a brief moment he wondered about Davis and his disappearance from the table, but Peter had been quite closemouthed about it, and Drew didn’t was to press it. Besides, he’d seemed back to normal when he’d returned, even so much as to flirt with the waiter. That hadn’t gone unnoticed, at least by him. Jordan was right. The man was an incorrigible tease.

Time to head back home. Needing to make a stop at the restroom before he hopped on the subway, he headed to the back where he’d seen Ash disappear to earlier. He used the urinal and washed up. As he exited the restroom, he heard a noise behind him that sounded like a groan of pain. Drew stood still, his ear trained. Someone could be hurt and need medical help. Once again he heard the sound, like a drawn-out moan; it cut off abruptly, as if someone had clapped a hand over his mouth.

Heedless to what he might find, Drew hurried down the darkened hallway and turned the corner. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the scene before him. Instead of a potential mugging victim lying on the ground in pain, Ash Davis was spread-eagled against the wall getting an impressive-looking blowjob by the waiter he’d been flirting with earlier. Neither man knew he was there, as wrapped up in each other’s bodies as they were.

Drew remained frozen in place. The air seemed to thicken, and the small gasps, moans, and pants echoed in the dark, all magnifying the illicit nature of the encounter. His eyes were drawn to the act, the waiter’s mouth on Ash’s cock. He could see it gliding wet and hard between the man’s lips, and Drew’s response to the explicit picture before his eyes, stunned him

Holy shit. This was like what Jordan mentioned he’d seen. And damn if, Jordan wasn’t right. Hell, Drew might be straight, but watching the erotic scene unfold before his eyes was sexy as hell. Gone was the man who’d bolted from the table, a pale, sweating mess. In his place was a man in the midst of a sexual encounter that, from the sounds he made and the look on his face, had him hovering on the brink of a violent orgasm.

Drew shook his head. What the hell was he doing standing here? He had to get out before Davis opened his eyes and caught him watching. Tearing his gaze from the scene, he turned on his heel and hastened back down the hallway and out of the restaurant. In no mood now to wait for the train, he hailed a cab and soon found himself speeding down Broadway. A sudden rainstorm splatted fat drops against the windows, steaming them and cocooning him inside the cab, alone with his thoughts.

The closer he got to home, the clearer his mind became. He pulled out the business card from his wallet and, knowing it was the coward’s way out, dialed the office number rather than Davis’s personal cell.

“Um, hello, Davis. This is Drew Klein. I was thinking, and I’m not sure you’d be a good fit for the clinic, so I’m releasing you from your offer. I appreciate your willingness to help, though. So, uh, thanks and bye.”

Smooth, Drew
. Well, he never was great with words. It’s why he became a doctor. He paid the cabbie and ran into his building, only getting slightly wet. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by Domino, weaving his furry body between Drew’s legs.

“Hey, big boy, miss me?” He picked up the cat, who head butted him on his chin. Funny how he enjoyed having a pet to come home to. Despite the lousy start he’d had in life, Domino was a loving creature, always happy to see him come through the door.

Drew gave the cat one more cuddle, then placed him on the floor. Domino, proclaiming his displeasure, meowed loudly. Drew, who could deny the cat nothing, gave the cat a few more scratches, then stood and tossed his keys in the bowl on the table by the front door. As he passed through the living room to his bedroom, he dropped his jacket on the sofa. Finally comfortable after changing into a T-shirt and sweats, Drew logged on to the computer to check his e-mails. The first one that caught his eye was from Mallory Construction. Jason Mallory had e-mailed him to let him know the job would be finished Monday, and he would meet Drew at the site for a walk-through.

Drew was thrilled. Not only was the job finished ahead of schedule, but it exceeded what he’d originally planned. Mallory had gone the extra mile to make sure the clinic looked welcoming and would be a place where disenfranchised young adults would want to come for help.

Once Drew discussed the reason behind the clinic with Mallory, the man had confided that he himself was gay and had had a difficult time with some members of his family during his coming out. All that seemed to be behind him, though, as he introduced Drew to his partner, Ryder, whom he was marrying this summer.

Closing down his e-mail, Drew rested his head against the pillows of his sofa and closed his eyes. Had he really loved Jackie, or was it his desperate need to have someone to come home to, someone to touch, to hold? Losing his parents so unexpectedly had left a hole in his heart he’d never been able to fill. He’d drifted through relationships, allowing his friends to set him up with woman after woman, but he’d never found that attraction or spark to take any of them seriously. Their main interest had been he was a doctor. As he grew older and reverted back into his shell of loneliness, it became all too easy to let his friends and sister tell him what to do in his personal life.

After all, Jordan had Keith, Mike was a party animal with more women than sense, and Rachel…well, Rachel was a mother hen and insisted she knew what was best for him.

When he’d ventured out and met Jackie, he’d thought she was the one, not heeding his friends’ and family’s warning that she only wanted to be married to a plastic surgeon with a lucrative career path. She’d been loving and inventive enough in bed to hold his interest while they’d dated. Everything had been fine before they’d gotten married. He fell for her hard and fast, proposing marriage after only dating six months. But things changed soon after their honeymoon, swiftly going downhill. Once he’d told her of his plans to open a clinic for abused teens and young adults, she’d pulled away, uninterested in that or any other topic he brought up for discussion. Eventually she withdrew from their marriage altogether.

It hadn’t even taken him three months of living together to realize what a vain, self-centered person she truly was. Shit, he’d obviously been a very poor judge of character, because seeing her on her knees blowing his friend had come as a total surprise to him. Once again, he thanked God the marriage was as short-lived as it was.

Well, no matter, as he wasn’t ready for a new relationship or even to date right now. His sister was right. He had the clinic and those kids to think about. Hopefully they could find another lawyer to replace Davis. Jason Mallory had mentioned a friend who was a Legal Aid attorney. Maybe Drew would give that attorney a call, as the legal work would likely be too much for Peter to handle on his own.

His phone buzzed with a call. “Hey, Rach. What’s up? I was thinking of you.”

“Hey, D. Great minds, big brother. Wanna meet for coffee Saturday? I haven’t seen you in a while since I was out of town and couldn’t come to Nana’s last week. We need a hang-out day.”

Drew’s chest tightened. No matter how shitty he felt, talking to his sister always made him feel better. Not that he’d ever admit it to her. “Sure, honey. Where and when?”

“How about the new coffeehouse by Union Square? The one on Eighteenth Street by the park? We can walk around the farmer’s market afterward.”

An idea popped into his head. “Sounds perfect. I’ll get some fresh fruit and make Nana a cobbler for Sunday.” He hadn’t indulged in his love of cooking since his marriage, as Jackie barely ate anything. She’d always been on some diet or another.

“Ooh yumm.” Her moan was long and drawn out. “I love your cobbler. Maybe you’ll be a nice big brother and make an extra one for me? Pretty please?”

Pretending to grumble, he agreed. She knew he’d make it for her. “Well, all right, but you’ll have to help me carry the fruit home.”

“Not a problem. Gives me a chance to come over and see Domino. How fat has he gotten?”

“Hey. He isn’t fat; he’s healthy.”

After she stopped laughing, they agreed to meet at noon. “Save me a seat and get me a hazelnut latte if you get there first, D.”

“If? If I’m there first? When have you ever been on time for anything?” He chuckled, even when she blew a raspberry in his ear and hung up on him.

Swallowing the last of his beer, he closed his laptop and put it on the couch. When he got up, the cat followed him, waiting outside the bathroom until he finished and then trailing him back into the bedroom. No use in pushing Domino off the bed; he’d hop right back on.

“Well, come on. Up you go.” Domino regarded him with those big yellow eyes, swished his tail, and jumped, stalking over to the foot of the bed and curling up. Feeling happier than he had in a while, Drew slipped into the bed, allowing his body to unfold. Toes curling, hamstrings tightening, and arms over his head, he enjoyed a full-body stretch before relaxing It had been a long day of patients, then that bizarre dinner meeting. The back of his neck cracked. Well, he sure wasn’t twenty anymore. After he’d hit thirty, he’d taken up running to make sure he could stay in shape with his long hours and infrequent meals.

His phone buzzed on the night table. Oh Christ. Hopefully it wasn’t some emergency. He picked it up, his eyes squinting at the bright light in the dark of his room. Crap. Asher Davis.

What the hell was that message about, Klein? Call me back.

Screw him. He didn’t owe the guy anything. He threw the phone on the opposite side of the bed and buried his head under the pillow. Of course, now that the guy had texted him, Drew couldn’t get that scene of Ash getting sucked off out of his mind. He finally understood what Jordan meant when he said it was hot to watch. He’d never admit it to anyone, but for just a moment while he was watching it…damn if it didn’t turn him on. Just a bit.

Shit. There went his dick again. Fuck. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He liked women, for God’s sake. Even though there was no one else in the room, his gaze darted furtively from side to side. Drew touched himself through his thin sweatpants, groaning at the feel of his already swollen, hard cock jumping.

A vision of the dark-haired Ash, looking like a wicked angel, head thrown back and gasping for breath, stirred a dark fantasy Drew didn’t know existed in the deepest recesses of his mind. The slick, liquid sound of the waiter’s mouth on Ash’s cock, as well as Ash’s harsh groans, were the impetus Drew needed to push himself over the edge. To his disbelief and dismay, and before he could stop himself, he reached under his sweats, grabbed his cock, and pulled at the leaking head, stroking hard down the shaft. After only a few moments and several strong tugs, he pulsed and came, spurting into his hand, his rough, choked cry echoing against the walls of his bedroom.

Unable to catch his breath for a moment, he reeled from what had occurred in his bed. Did he really jerk off thinking of another man? Un-fucking-believable. What was going on with him?

His phone rang. Shit, nighttime calls were always bad news. What if something had happened to Nana? Without looking at the screen, he connected. “Hello? Who is this?”

“Klein? It’s Davis. Asher Davis. You owe me an explanation for why you summarily dismissed me from the project.”

“It’s almost two a.m. I don’t owe anyone explanations at two in the morning. Least of all you.” Yeah, he knew that sounded rude, but the fact that he’d jerked off to the vision in his mind of the guy getting a blowjob embarrassed him enough that he didn’t give a shit.

A long expulsion of breath indicated how pissed off Davis was. “Why are you being such a bastard?” Now he merely sounded confused. “Can’t we talk about it?”

Did he owe the guy an explanation? Not really. But maybe he owed it to Peter, since Peter was the one who had gotten Asher involved. “Okay. Meet me at eleven thirty Saturday morning at the new coffeehouse on Eighteenth and Broadway.” He clicked off and muted the phone. After cleaning himself up in the bathroom, Drew returned to bed and buried his head under the pillows, willing himself to go to sleep.

* * * *

On Saturday, a few minutes before he was supposed to meet Ash, Drew entered the coffeehouse, ordered himself an iced coffee, and found a table. Stretching out his legs under the tiny table, he wondered why he’d made this appointment. He wanted this clinic to safeguard the kids from predators. While Ash wasn’t that bad, he didn’t need the distraction of wondering whether or not Asher Davis was behaving himself and not seducing the very kids they were trying to protect.

A shadow fell across his eyes. “Okay, Klein.” Ash dropped into the seat across from him. His silver eyes glittered like ice chips, nor was there warmth to the tight smile on his lips. “What the fuck happened between dinner and you coming home that made it so imperative for you to call my office at one thirty in the morning and dump me from the project?”

Drew toyed with the lid to his coffee cup before answering, his gaze taking in the man’s agitated state. “For the life of me, I can’t understand why you’re so upset. I had a change of heart.” He shrugged. “Maybe I don’t want to work with my ex-wife’s lawyer.”