Bringing Home Danny (40 page)

“
Sit up in your chair properly. I don't want you to fall,” Mitch lectured absentmindedly.
 

Danny sat up and moved his food around on his plate. “I'm going out tomorrow tonight,” he finally announced to change the subject, and broach the topic of his first male date.

“
Oh?” Mitch asked, as he shifted in Danny's direction.
 

“
I mean, I'd like permission to go out on a date.” He adjusted his statement to a request, figuring it would be best to placate Mitch's stubborn need for control.
 

TJ's ears perked up. “A date?”

“
Yeah, you know, a date. It's when people go out together before they start sleeping with each other, or at least before they move in together." Danny directed his sarcasm at TJ even though his aim was to reach everyone at the table.
 

Deflecting Danny's attempt to incite a negative response, TJ winked and said, “Oh, I think I heard of those. How quaint. So, who's the lucky girl?”

“
It's not a girl. And butt out, I wasn't asking you.”
 

“
Be careful with that tone of yours or you'll be finding yourself going to bed early with a bitter taste in your mouth,” Mitch scolded.
 

“
Sorry,” Danny groused. “So can I go?”
 

“
That depends on where you're going and who you will be going with.”
 

“
Why?” Danny asked rebelliously.
 

“
Danny!” Antonio warned sharply. He was discouraged now by his optimistic assumption that things were back to normal.
 

“
We could double date,” TJ suggested. Unfazed by Danny's attitude, he elbowed Ricky to support his idea. Although he was accustomed to Danny's brashness, he was a little threatened by his interest in other men.
 

“
NO!” There was no way in hell Danny was going to bring a chaperone on his date. Having TJ and Ricky there as a constant reminder that they're together was also the last thing he needed.
 

TJ couldn't joke with Danny anymore, or bring him around like he used to. He felt sick at the loss. He never thought that by taking in Ricky, they would have to sacrifice Danny.
I guess it was too much to ask for,
TJ thought sardonically to himself.
Fate has finally caught up to me and said, 'TJ, you have been entirely too greedy.'
He wasn't
ready to give up all hope. Danny had meant as much to him as any of the
m. It might not always be apparent, but they had a special bond. TJ was carefu
l not to show his anguish in front of Ricky, th
ough. His new partner h
ad a tendency to blame himself for anything that went wrong.
 

 “
For the last time, lower your voice so we can eat our dinner in peace,” Mitch said, with slow and deliberate precision. Pointing to the untouched meal, he made it clear that he expected Danny to do the same.
 

Antonio waited for Mitch to calm down and Danny to comply with eating. “I think a group date is a great idea,” he said, agreeing with TJ.

“
Why? So you can send spies to see if I eat all of my vegetables?”
 

Antonio quickly cut Mitch off from responding to Danny's ill-tempered comment. “Group dates are a perfect and
safe
way to get to know someone.”
 

“
Nooo.
I just wanna go by myself,
pleeasse
.”
 

“
We would like to meet the gentleman you will be going out with before we make any final decisions.”
 

Danny huffed. He couldn't believe how unreasonable they were being.
What am I suppose to say to Ethan,
he wondered miserably.
Sorry, but I can only go out with people who have had a background check by my overly intrusive bodyguards.
 

“
Fine. But I'm not going with
them
,” Danny said sourly, nodding his head in TJ's and Ricky's direction.
 

“
That's fine as long as you realize you are not going anywhere without our approval.”
 

“
Can I be excused?” Danny asked bitterly.
 

“
You
may
leave the table
after
you've finished your asparagus," Antonio
reminded him.
 

“
And I'd like you to eat more of your chicken,” Mitch added.
 

“
You gotta be kidding me.” Danny hated being treated like a little kid, especially in front of Ricky.
 

“
Do I look like I'm kidding you?” Mitch stared the brat down until he gave up his insolent demeanor. Danny shook his head and lifted his fork as if it was holding something vile and toxic.
 

“
Do you need help with it?” Mitch asked on his last thread of patience.
 

“
No, sir,” Danny muttered with a pout.
 

As he suffered through the last of his dinner, Danny contemplated on bringing Ethan to the house, or sneaking off without permission. He came to the conclusion that it would be best not to risk the wrath of Mitch.
For some reason he had been extra grouchy lately
.

*****

Ethan borrowed a car and offered to pick up the captivating young man at his house. Danny tried to time it differently, it was just his dumb luck that all four men were home when his date arrived.

“
How old are you, Ethan?” was the first question Antonio asked, after the introductions.
 

Ethan could not remember a time he felt more conspicuous as the four men loomed near waiting for his response.

“
Twenty,” he said simply.
 

“
Are you aware that Danny is only seventeen?” Antonio followed up.
 

Danny was mortified, and more than a little miffed. They had each other, so he couldn't understand why they were trying to sabotage his first attempt to move on.

“
No, I wasn't aware,” Ethan said, examining Danny more closely. “I'll make sure to get him home safe and sound.”
 

Danny rolled his eyes.

“
Where are you planning on going?" Mitch asked. "Obviously neither one of you are old enough to drink,” he added, making his intentions clear.
 

“
Obviously. I thought we could go to a movie and get a bite to eat,” Ethan said respectfully.
 

On the way out, Ethan stopped to shake the two biggest men’s hands.

“
Don't be out too late,” Antonio warned from the door.
 

Danny let out a sigh of relief the minute they were alone.

 
“
Wow, how can you stand living there with all those hot men?” Ethan patted his chest pretending to be out of breath.
 

“
Don't you mean controlling?”
 

“
They can control me anytime.”
 

Danny raised his eyebrows and studied his new friend. Ethan's comment stung. He didn't expect him to be understanding of his situation, but it hadn't occurred to him that Ethan's interest in him would have been so quickly overshadowed by the men he lived with.

Noticing Danny's dejected expression, Ethan tried to recover. “I can appreciate why they would want to be protective of you, you're awfully cute.”

“
Whatever.”
 

Danny hated to be called cute. He would rather not be thought of at all than to be considered something people associated with babies and puppies. Small and irrelevant, meant to be petted and then dismissed. He was no threat to anybody.

“
No, honestly. I'd hate to mess with any of them, especially if I did something to you they didn't like. Are you sure they won't kill me if I send you home with a hickey?”
 

“
If you don't want to go out, tell me now so I can make other plans.”
 

“
I didn't say that. I even borrowed this Dodge Challenger to impress you,” Ethan joked. Dust from rust puffed up as he beat the hood of the ten-year-old vehicle that showed evidence of being ridden hard and not well maintained.
 

“
I'm impressed,” Danny said flatly. “So, where are we
really
going?”
 

“
I take it you don't want to see a movie.”
 

“
I don't usually have the attention span to sit through a movie.”
 

“
Are you hungry?”
 

“
No.”
 

“
We could go for a drive.”
 

“
A drive?”
 

"Museum?"

"Huh?"

“
I give up. Where would you like to go?” Ethan knew he blew Danny's first
impression of the date, and was trying hard to stay positive and regain some leverage.
 

“
I dunno. I don't get out much,” Danny admitted. “We live in New York City, there's gotta be something to do.”
 

“
I know a couple of places that might let us in.”
 

“
All right,” Danny said, eager to be out of the protective strangling hold of the men he didn't want to love.
 

“
Man, if those two big dudes find out where I'm taking you, I'll be dead.”
 

“
They won't."
 

Somehow Ethan wasn’t too comforted by the kid’s dismissal of what he thought was a legitimate concern.

*****

Danny was immediately drawn into the sounds and sights of the Westside at night. It made him feel older and daring to be walking the streets with Ethan. They approached an establishment that was brightly colored and festive on the outside, but dark and smoky on the inside. A bouncer was standing by the door for appearances only. He gave a quick appraisal and a sneer as Danny squeezed through the door with a group of older men. Ethan rushed in behind him, took him by the hand, and walked him single file through the crowd until he found an empty table.

Danny's excitement was palpable. He couldn't keep his eyes from scanning the place and all the different men.

“
Danny! Danny! Can you hear me?”
 

“
What?” Danny asked, as he finally turned his attention to Ethan.
 

“
I said do you want me to get you anything?”
 

“
Sure, okay.”
 

“
What do you want?”
 

“
Umm, I dunno. What are you having?”
 

“
I'll get us some beers. Don't go anywhere.”
 

The music was pounding, and Danny's heart was thumping in his chest to the rhythm. He felt the urge to get up and do something, but he didn't know what. His eyes roamed to a man wearing a black leather vest. His chest was bare except for the thick layer of dark hair that covered it. The man raised his glass to him, and Danny blushed and quickly turned around like a naughty schoolboy caught cheating off someone's paper.

“
Is this okay?” Ethan asked, clinking their bottles to the table.
 

Danny nodded.

Ethan pointed his beer at Danny. “I can't believe I'm here with you.”

“
Why?”
 

“
To tell you the truth, I had my eye on you since the beginning of the last semester. You shocked me when you asked me out."
 

"You asked
me
out."

Ethan chuckled. “I guess that’s technically true. What I’m trying to say is, I didn’t expect you to be gay.”

“
What do you mean?” Danny asked, a little guarded.
 

“
I just meant, you always had girls around you, and…”
 

“
I like guys, I told you,” Danny said, cutting him off.
 

“
I remember, and I'm glad. But do you have much experience with them?”
 

“
Some,” Danny said, avoiding eye contact.
 

“
When exactly do you turn eighteen?”
 

“
Soon. Come on.” Danny grabbed his hand, acting bolder than he felt. “I want to check out that other room.”
 

Danny snatched his beer off the table and pulled Ethan behind him. When he reached the room that had intrigued him he swung open the door, and stopped in his tracks at the entrance.

“
Hey, pretty boy, what are you doing here?” someone called out.
 

Danny couldn't make out who it was. He was too busy
staring at men in various stages of sexual activity. “Umm...”
 

 “
He's with me. We were just leaving.” Ethan took Danny by the elbow. The laughter could still be heard as he shut the door behind them.
 

“
I don't think you're ready for the backroom yet.”
 

Danny was embarrassed, but not completely disheartened. He took one last look at the closed door and then he took a swig of his beer. “There's a dartboard over there. Do you want to play?”