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Category: Erotica/Gay-Lesbian Erotica/Gay Fiction
Description: When a night out with his friend Daniel turns unexpectedly romantic--and then erotic--Luke begins to wonder if he's been looking for the wrong qualities in a lover. He's attracted to Daniel because he feels valued and loved when they are together. Luke begins to fall for Daniel completely, but then a mutual friend Luke once wanted to be with decides to interfere. Eliza refuses to believe Luke is serious about Daniel, viewing their relationship as nothing more than a heterosexual guy "experimenting." The resulting strain on their relationship pushes Luke into a corner. He has to convince Eliza his former interest in her doesn't compare to his love for Daniel. He also needs to calm Daniel's fears and anxieties so they can begin living the life Luke knows will make them both happy.
eBook Publisher: Whiskey Creek Press, 2012
eBookwise Release Date: April 2012

12 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [110 KB]
Words: 24977
Reading time: 71-99 min.

Chapter 1

Daniel woke up alone. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time on his phone. As he came more fully awake, he heard the shower running and sighed with relief. He hadn't been too worried Luke would leave without saying good-bye, but he did wonder how Luke would feel about what had happened between them last night.

Luke had always known Daniel was bisexual, and it had never bothered him as far as Daniel could tell. The night before, they had met to have a few beers and ended up back at Daniel's house. After exhausting other subjects, they had broached one that had been hanging between the two of them for two years. They had met one another through Eliza, a mutual friend, and within a few months of this meeting they had both realized the other had feelings for her. Eliza was outgoing, flirtatious, and very open-minded about the men she slept with. One obstacle alone hindered both of them. She did not want a serious relationship at all. She only wanted sex. She wouldn't even date casually because of this desire to remain single and independent. She had sex when she wanted to, but both men were interested in more than that and thus had never been with her.

Daniel was not in love with her. He was attracted to her, and they had become close in the three years they had known each other. He wanted to see if there could be something more between them, but she held firm to her resolve. He hadn't brought the subject up in months. Daniel suspected Luke had deeper feelings for her, but he couldn't be sure. Luke had said several times that he was not in love with her, but that only made Daniel believe Luke's feelings for her might be very strong indeed. They hadn't been having a pity party, but they had been speaking very bluntly about their own frustrations and disappointments. Eliza's behavior had become erratic in the past few months. Her moods changed very suddenly. This change toward all of her friends had discouraged both of them to the point of abandoning any idea of trying to be with her. However, as her friends, they still felt a great deal of concern.

At one point in their conversation, Daniel had reached out and grasped Luke's hand. Luke's face had registered surprise, but he hadn't moved his hand away. Daniel had tried to pull away casually, but that moment had changed something in the atmosphere. Luke kept his eyes averted even though he continued to speak candidly. Daniel had been worried he'd made Luke uncomfortable, but then a little after midnight Luke had touched Daniel's cheek and kissed him. Daniel had been stunned, but then he had started to kiss Luke back. They'd kissed on the couch for several minutes. Luke had slid his hand over Daniel's cock, and they had moved to the bedroom, taking their shirts off and continuing to kiss and caress each other. They hadn't fucked, but after a long time spent kissing and stroking each other Daniel had sucked Luke off. Neither of them had said anything until that moment.

"I'd like to try that," Luke had said, looking straight into Daniel's eyes. Daniel had nodded, and Luke had unzipped his pants and taken his cock into his mouth. The memory made Daniel groan. Luke had a slow and teasing style that really turned Daniel on. He wanted to get out of bed and join Luke in the shower, but he knew better than to move that fast or take that kind of chance yet. He wanted to gauge how Luke felt first.

His only worry was that Luke might have acted out of frustration with Eliza. They hadn't been very drunk, but they had both had enough alcohol to impair their judgment. He'd felt very competitive with Luke many times since they had met, but they'd become friends over time because they genuinely liked one another, despite wanting the same woman. His own desire for her had cooled with time, but she somehow managed to still hold his interest and reel him back in occasionally. Luke had expressed a similar feeling, but he had seemed more frustrated in a way. Daniel still wanted Eliza, but for the first time in almost a year he'd woken up thinking of someone else first. Had Luke felt the same upon waking?

Luke came out of the bathroom wearing only his boxers as Daniel was contemplating that question. He looked so good. He had a solid, muscular build and delicious abs. His chest was hard and sported a fine layer of soft dark blond hair. Daniel thought it was very sexy. Daniel smiled at him to test the waters, and Luke smiled back. He came over to the bed and sat Indian style on the side he had slept on.

"Good morning," Luke said.

"Morning. How did you sleep?" Daniel sat up to face him better and pushed his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Good. I'm a bit hung over, but I slept very well." Luke leaned over and kissed him on the lips. "I had a great time last night," he added as they gazed into each other's eyes, their faces inches apart.

His reaction, and the soft kiss, boosted Daniel's confidence. He wanted to keep kissing Luke, but instead he smiled and said, "I did too. I was glad you were still here when I woke up."

Luke let his gaze travel over Daniel's body as he sat back. What was he thinking? Daniel tried to think of something else to say, but Luke spoke first. "I wouldn't have bolted. Not my style at all." He took a breath and let it out, meeting Daniel's gaze again. "So, I'll just go ahead and ask this. You date men, right? You don't just fuck them?"

Daniel nodded. "Yes. I do date men. It's not just fun on the side. I'm as open to falling for a man as I am for a woman."

Luke nodded slowly. "I'd never given it any thought until last night. Now it's a bit of a preoccupation."

"And you had a good time, you said." He thought reaffirming what Luke had already said was safer than asking him any questions right now.

Luke laughed. "I believe I said great time. Yes, I did. I can't really stop thinking about it. I wanted to kiss you, and I liked it. I liked all of it."

"I did too." Daniel moved a little closer. "Would you like to get together again? I would. We can go have breakfast and talk about it if you want to." He wanted to stay in bed and talk about it, but he was hungry and he liked Luke enough that he didn't want anything to hinder the conversation. No matter how pleasurable staying in might be, they needed to talk away from the bedroom. He didn't trust himself. The excitement stirring deep inside him was not to be trusted too readily either.

"Yes to both. I need to call my sister so she'll know why I didn't come back to the apartment, but I'm free all day." He checked his own phone on the nightstand. "She's probably not even conscious yet. I'll text her," he said with a smile.

Daniel loved Luke's smile. He'd noticed it before, but now that he was paying more attention he saw how truly infectious it was. He smiled back. "Great. I'll get a quick shower and we can head out."

Luke nodded and began to dress. Daniel let his gaze linger for a moment before heading into the bathroom and forcing himself to close the door.

Luke went to sit in the living room after he got dressed and sent his sister Janet a quick message. He felt energized despite his hangover. He'd enjoyed kissing Daniel. He'd enjoyed everything they had done. He wasn't sure what that meant though. Was he bisexual too, or did he just like Daniel? As he'd said to Daniel, he'd never considered the possibility that he was anything but completely heterosexual until last night. One encounter didn't constitute a lifestyle change, but he didn't want it to end with only one encounter. He'd taken the chance and come right out and asked Daniel if he dated men. Luke was relieved the candid question hadn't offended Daniel. He had gay friends and lesbian friends. He'd never known anyone else besides Daniel who was bisexual, so he'd just asked because he wanted to know where a relationship with him could possibly go. Based on Daniel's answer, it could potentially go all the way. He'd said he wanted to get together again and meant it. He wondered how all their friends would react. He didn't think any of them would react negatively, but he thought a lot of them would be surprised.

How would Eliza react? Would she be unaffected by the news? Would she tease them? What if she saw them both differently after this? He'd known Eliza twice as long as he'd known Daniel. Eliza had met Daniel a year after she'd met Luke and had not introduced them to each other until they'd all been at the same party a year after that. She and Daniel were still very close, but she and Luke had been seeing each other less and less the past six months. He'd grown tired of her flirting with him, even touching him, and then hitting the brakes when he tried to progress beyond playfulness and teasing. He hadn't spent the whole four years they'd been friends trying to win her over, but the thought had never been too far from his mind until recently. He loved being with her and still wanted her, but he'd grown tired of not being good enough to even deserve a chance. He respected her desire to remain single, but her continued flirting bothered him. She knew he wanted to be with her, and he couldn't help feeling that she somehow got off on keeping him in her thrall. Maybe he was being unfair, but he was tired of longing for something he would most likely never have.

Last night, he'd told Daniel so many things. He'd expressed all of his frustrations and discovered Daniel felt exactly the same way about Eliza's behavior sometimes. They'd also agreed that her behavior lately had been strange. Talking about it had felt very good. He'd relaxed as the evening had gone on, and then he'd looked into Daniel's eyes. He'd already let his emotional barriers drop, so his other inhibitions had quickly melted away as well. Daniel had grasped his hand, and something about that simple gesture had touched something inside him. Kissing Daniel when the desire hit had been so easy. It had felt good, especially when Daniel returned the kiss. Their encounter had been more sensual and gentle than he'd expected. Daniel sucking him off had been so erotic, and he'd enjoyed reciprocating. He closed his eyes and breathed deep as he recalled licking Daniel's hard, smooth chest and finally taking Daniel's cock into his mouth. He'd woken up feeling warm and comfortable lying next to Daniel. They hadn't had anal sex. Luke had wondered how it would be and had even been nervous, but his desire to keep touching Daniel had overcome that. In the shower he'd tried to figure out how he felt about them not going all the way, and he'd decided he was glad they hadn't. The lack of pressure during their encounter indicated Daniel respected him.

Daniel's reaction moments earlier told him they were on the same page. Daniel hadn't assumed Luke was just having a drunken bit of fun or trying to get back at Eliza in some way. He was pleased Daniel had been happy to see him this morning. It hadn't been awkward. Again, it had felt comfortable. Different, but very comfortable. It confirmed that last night had been not only special but also important to both of them. He wondered how Janet would feel. She had been blatantly homophobic as a teenager. She had mellowed since then and often seemed embarrassed when reminded of her views back then, but she still wasn't a full supporter of gay rights. He felt that most of the time she simply wished people wouldn't bring the subject up.

He'd said he'd spent the night at Daniel's in his text, but did she know Daniel well enough to know he was bisexual? He suspected she wouldn't even think about it even if she did know, but it still might complicate their current living situation. They had been living together for three months because she had nowhere else to go at the moment. Her husband had left her because she'd had an affair. She worked part-time in a music store, and their parents could not help her financially. Luke hadn't known it at the time, but his parents had nearly bankrupted themselves to pay for his sister's extravagant wedding. Then the marriage had only lasted fourteen months because of her cheating. He'd grown tired of her persuading them to clean up after her every time she made a bad decision, so he had offered her a place to live if she agreed to stop burdening their parents both emotionally and financially. She had agreed, and he did his best to present a positive front to his parents.

Daniel came into the room at that moment, and Luke felt his cares lighten a little. However, Daniel still frowned when he saw his face. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking about my sister."

Daniel nodded and came to sit beside him. Luke had shared the details of that as well the night before. All his friends knew his sister's situation, but he'd opened up to Daniel about his concerns and stresses in that area of his life too.

"Everything okay? Did you talk to her?"

"I sent her a text. She probably won't call or anything. She only calls if she needs something."

"I know that makes it hard, but I think you're doing a good thing for her. She's only twenty-three. She still has a lot to learn about life."

"I keep telling myself that. If I can just keep her from getting involved with another loser, I think she'll be fine."

"The wrong person can mess up the best-laid plans, no doubt about it."

Luke nodded. "I believe she can do better in every part of her life. I really do." He stood up. "You ready to head out? I'm starving."

"Sure. There's a place a few miles away where we'll have more quiet and privacy. The crowds don't hit until after eleven."

Luke shoved his phone into his pocket and followed Daniel out the door. He felt a brief wave of nerves, but when their eyes met for a few seconds over the roof of Daniel's car, Luke managed to relax again.

Daniel wanted to make sure Luke felt completely comfortable. He seemed fine, but every now and then he looked a little unnerved. They'd taken a booth near the back with a view of the cobbled alley beside the restaurant. Early-morning shoppers strolled by as they talked.

"Like I said, I acted because it was what I wanted right then, but I don't regret it," Luke said. "I'm confused, yes, but I want to explore that and work through it instead of dismissing it."

Daniel sipped his coffee and leaned against the back of the booth. "You're luckier than I was. I was twenty, and the other guy was twenty-two and only into men. After two weeks, he got tired of me. I didn't understand. He acted like I was naive for believing we were in a relationship. He said I needed to grow up."

Luke's mouth fell open. He blinked and said, "Jeez, what a jerk."

Daniel nodded. "Yep. I avoided men for months. Eventually, I met someone and realized I'd simply had bad luck with my first experience. We dated, but we ended up as just friends. Then I dated a few women." He shrugged. "There's not much of interest to tell."

"So how did you know? That's such a loaded and complicated question, but is there really a moment when you know?"

Daniel considered his answer, which could easily come across as very cheesy, but he decided to tell the truth. "Honestly, it was similar to what happened last night. I was talking to a guy, and when our eyes met I realized I wanted to kiss him. He was heterosexual and engaged, so thankfully I didn't, but it made me think long and hard about what I was looking for romantically."

Luke gave him a little smile. "Really? That's kind of cool. It probably didn't feel that way at the time."

"No, it didn't. I felt very awkward at their wedding. I haven't seen him for years, but I think about that moment often. It really changed my life." Daniel paused. "Can I ask you a similarly loaded question?"

"Sure."

"Do you think last night happened because we're both frustrated about Eliza? I'm asking how you feel and how you think I might feel."

Their food arrived, giving Luke another moment to think. He picked up his fork and toyed with his hash browns before looking up at Daniel.

"I've thought about that. I don't think so, but it probably was a factor. We opened up because we were both feeling something similar. I surprised you, but I believe you kissed me back because you wanted to. You were happy to see me this morning, as happy as I was to see you. Am I right?"

Daniel nodded. "You are."

"I acted because of an urge, but I could have stopped at any moment. I didn't want to." He looked around and lowered his voice, leaning forward. "I liked you sucking my cock, and I liked getting you off as well." He sat back against the seat.

Daniel felt his penis twitch. The memory of Luke sucking and licking him proved very powerful. "The feeling is mutual."

They started eating and remained silent for a few minutes before Luke asked, "Had you ever thought about me before?"

Daniel decided again to be honest. "I think you're attractive, but I never gave you much thought in that way. I figured we'd always be simply friends. I never imagined something like this would happen. I've learned never to attempt a conversion or get my hopes up."

"I only ask because I want to say, well, you don't owe me anything just because it was my...first time, shall we say. If it doesn't feel right, tell me."

"I do want to see you again, Luke."

"I know. I suppose I mean we don't have to keep dating any set amount of time."

"I understand. The same goes for you though. Treat this like every other relationship you've been in. Tell me what you're feeling. Be honest with me."

Luke smiled. "Okay. Pre-dating agreement has been affirmed. Now we can proceed."

Daniel laughed. "I have always thought you were funny. It's why I made the effort to get to know you away from Eliza."

His smile faded a bit. "Do you think she'll have a big reaction to this? She kind of likes being the center of attention, especially with the men in her life."

"I've thought about it. You've known her longer."

"But you two are a lot closer right now."

Daniel considered this. "I guess we are. You two haven't seen much of each other lately."

"Yeah. That's why I invited you out for drinks. I missed seeing you."

That surprised Daniel, but in a very pleasant way. "You did?"

"Mmmm hmmm. Most of Eliza's friends are pretty vapid. We met right after I moved here, so most of my friends came through her. I have a few friends at work, but I always loved talking to you. Even when it became obvious you liked Eliza too, I couldn't dislike you."

"I'm not sure how she'll react, but I'm gonna have a talk with her if she keeps flirting with you the way she has been."

"Jealous?" he asked playfully.

"I could be."

"Maybe we should strike first and tease her about being a good matchmaker."

Daniel made a pained face, but then he had to laugh. "We'd probably be on her shit list for that."

"Who cares? Maybe it will end up being true."

Their eyes met, and Luke lowered his and broke contact first. Daniel admired his profile for a few seconds. Luke was very handsome with his sandy brown hair and big brown eyes. He started thinking about his body, and his mouth, and had to pull his mind out of the gutter. He looked back down at his food and continued eating. He couldn't believe how well things were going, but he wasn't going to dare question his luck.

Luke stood up and pulled his chair in to let Eliza and her friends scoot by him to the other side of the round table wedged into the corner. The bar noise had increased steadily over the last hour. He sat back down beside Daniel, who placed his arm on the back of Luke's chair. Tonight was their fourth date. Eliza had sent them texts to invite them out. She'd said she would arrive at six, but it was almost eight. Luke noticed she didn't apologize to anyone at the table or even really say hello. The other people she had invited--a woman and two men--had recognized Luke from some parties and joined them. They had introduced themselves and started making small talk. Each of them had avoided pointing out how late Eliza was or how this fit into the pattern of her recent behavior. Luke didn't recognize the two women she'd brought with her, and her other friends didn't seem to either. Eliza made no introductions, and no one at the table made a move to introduce themselves to the newcomers.

"So now we can all get drunk and get to know each other," Eliza said. "Woo hoo!" She got her phone out and started texting. Without looking up, she said to the woman beside her, "You want shots? We should get shots. You think?"

Luke wasn't sure what to think. Eliza wasn't the most responsible adult he knew, but she didn't normally sound like a barely legal moron. Everyone at the table seemed uncomfortable. Daniel's loud exhale of breath confirmed this thought. Luke leaned over to Eliza and said, "I can go order, if you ladies know what you want."

Eliza finished her text and smiled at him.

"That's my sweetie. Awesome!"

He'd been trying to make her friends feel more comfortable, but she'd cut them off before they could speak. She whipped out a credit card and handed it to him.

"I'll get our first round. Try to order from the blond guy. He likes me."

Luke looked at the bar, and sure enough the blond bartender was looking at Eliza. He smiled, and she waved flirtatiously. Eliza ordered the same thing for all three of them without even consulting her friends, and when he looked at them to make sure that was okay they both simply smiled meekly. Luke got up after exchanging a look with Daniel and went to the bar to order their drinks. He did so, but before walking away, he said, "Um, I think they've already had a few, so is it wrong of me to ask you to tone their drinks down?"

The bartender shook his head. "Not at all. I've had to cut her off before. I'll take care of it."

"Okay. Great. Thank you."

"Could you do me a favor, actually?"

What would the guy want him to do for him? "Sure."

"Tell her I'm gay. She doesn't believe me. She's usually blitzed, but I've tried to tell her."

"I'll try, but I'm not sure how to squeeze that one in." What was he supposed to do? Just sit down and announce it?

"Maybe tell her I flirted with you because I didn't know you're with that other guy. Make anything up. I'm just tired of her coming on to me, but I don't want to make it a confrontation, especially with a customer, you know?"

He paused, fighting back a smile, but then he nodded his agreement. "I can do that, I think." He met the man's gaze and gestured toward Daniel. "Do we look like we're together? We are, but it's early days."

He nodded. "You do. I guess I shouldn't assume, but--"

"Don't apologize. You just made my night, man."

The bartender smiled and gave him the thumbs up before moving away to make the women's drinks.

"Bad news, Eliza. If that guy 'likes' you, it's merely friendly," he said as he sat back down.

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply.

Her harsh tone surprised him, and Daniel and the women with her all turned their heads.

"He's gay. He was flirting with me."

"What? Are you serious?" She rolled her eyes, but then she poked Daniel's hand. "No wonder. Daniel has his arm around you!" She actually pushed Daniel's hand off the chair. She started to laugh. "Oh well, his loss."

Did she mean his loss for not liking women or his loss that Luke wasn't interested? He decided not to ask. He felt Daniel put his arm back around him.

"You know," Daniel said. "You could have asked before you did that."

She'd started texting again. "Did what?"

The woman and two guys they had met initially all inched their chairs back. "Hey, we're gonna split, Eliza. We'll catch you another night," the woman said.

"Oh, don't go!" She didn't even look up from her phone.

They stood. "Nice seeing you again, Luke. And, Daniel, nice to meet you," one guy said. He moved to their side of the table and shook their hands.

"Take care, guys," the second guy said.

They moved to the bar to pay their tabs and were gone within a minute. Eliza sat stunned. Her two friends didn't say anything. In fact, unless they'd talked while Luke was gone, he realized they had yet to say even one word.

"God, my friends are boring!" Eliza said.

"Well, you did say six. It's five until eight," one woman said in a very soft voice.

Eliza frowned at her phone and did not answer her friend. She turned to Daniel. "And what was I supposed to ask?"

"You saw my arm around Luke and assumed it was unwelcome. Why didn't you ask?"

Eliza stared at him. "Why the fuck would Luke want to have your arm around him?"

The woman who hadn't spoken yet stood up. "Okay, I'm going. Cherie, you want a ride home? I'm sure Eliza can get a taxi for herself. Or as usual an employee will get one for her."

Cherie glanced timidly between the two women. "Sure. Thanks." She stood up and moved to the other side of her friend.

"Gretchen, what the hell?" Eliza said. "I'm crashing with you tonight!"

She glared at her. "No, you aren't, so don't show up at my apartment, okay?" She dug her keys out of her bag and put it back over her shoulder. "Eliza, I have no idea what is wrong with you tonight, but I don't want to be around you. Your other friends bolting should prove I'm not alone in this feeling."

They left, and seconds later their drinks arrived. The waitress, seeing only three people, set the three identical drinks down in front of them and collected Luke's and Daniel's empty beer bottles. Eliza pulled them all toward her when the waitress turned away.

"Hey, bad idea," Daniel said.

"Trying to convert a straight guy is a bad idea," she shot back.

Luke wanted to leave as well, but Eliza definitely was drunk, maybe even high by the looks of her pupils. At least she hadn't driven herself and her friends here. He wondered if those women could still be considered her friends after the way she'd treated them. Had she been this confrontational all night? What had happened? She'd sat down with no apology for being late and without saying hello to anyone. She had not introduced her two friends to any of them. She could be thoughtless and self-absorbed, but she was rarely so rude.

"I'm not trying to do anything like that. We're dating," Daniel explained.

She finally put her phone on the table. "Dating? Really? Are you sure you don't just mean fucking?"

Luke spoke up. "We actually haven't done that yet. We're more interested in other things for now, if you believe such a thing is possible."

She stared at the table before darting a hard look between the two of them. "So when were you going to tell me?"

"Tonight. It's the first time we've seen you since we began seeing each other," Daniel said in a calm voice.

She focused on Luke. "So is this why I never see you anymore? You've been rolling with the boys?"

He ignored her question. "Eliza, what's wrong? You're hammered at eight o'clock, and you've driven away five friends so far. Did something happen?"

"I can't simply be in a bad mood? Something had to have happened to cause this?"

"This is one hell of a bad mood," Luke pointed out. "Tell us. Maybe we can help. We're not leaving because we have to make sure you get home safe."

She downed half of one of the drinks on the table. "Lost my job."

Luke felt sorry for her, but how did that warrant this kind of behavior? "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Daniel said. "But don't you think you're gonna need all the friends you can get right about now?"

"You're the first people I've told."

"Well, tomorrow you should call all the people who just left and explain what happened to them."

She finished the first drink. "Whatever."

"Why were you fired?" Luke asked.

"Cut backs. It wasn't my fault."

"You'll find a new job. Don't worry about it."

"I have to. I won't be able to make my rent. Is your sister still with you?"

"Yes," Luke said. "Will your roommate actually kick you out?"

She nodded. "We kind of fooled around. And some other stuff happened. He wants me out anyway."

Daniel leaned forward on the table. "Meaning, perhaps, you fucked him without telling him fucking was all you wanted?"

She downed the second drink all at once. "Aren't you supposed to be all liberal and enlightened, Daniel? Who are you to judge me?"

"I'm not judging you. I am judging the way you treat people. Someone needs to."

A couple of tears spilled down her face. Daniel stood up. "I'm getting your card and the bill. We're going to leave." He went over to the bar.

Luke reached over and touched her hand. "Just calm down. We're here. You'll have a different outlook once you sober up."

She rubbed his knee. "Why are you two together? I thought you liked me."

He pulled his hand away and moved out of her reach. "You don't want a relationship. I do. It just happened."

"How?"

"Does it matter? We were hanging out, and I kissed him. It was an impulse, but I liked it."

"So you're Katy Perry now? Jesus!"

He frowned. He'd seen her bitchiness rear its head before, but never to this extent. He felt sorry for her all the while feeling angry with her. Daniel had been very right. Her treatment of other people did need to be judged--and corrected. She'd drive everyone who cared about her away if she kept up this pace.

Daniel put the credit card slip in front of her with a pen. As she signed it, he slid her card back in her purse and also put her cell phone in her purse. He handed it back to her and took the slip to the bar.

"He's pretty mad," she said.

"I am too. For lots of reasons."

She lowered her eyes and looked at him through her thick false lashes. "You two want to fuck me?"

He glanced back at the bar before saying, "If you ask that when he comes back, you might end up walking home. He's serious about what he said. I am too. You aren't the only desirable person in the world, Eliza."

She smiled. Her eyes crossed a little, but she probably thought she looked sexy. "Then you two can lay down the law with me. I'll let you do anything if it's all three of us."

Daniel came back and took the third drink away from her as she was reaching for it. "I need it far more than you do." He downed it and slammed the glass down on the table. As badly as the night was going, the aggressive gesture turned Luke on a little. He tried to keep his thoughts in check as he helped Daniel get her to her feet. Daniel handed him his keys.

"You mind driving?" he asked.

Luke shook his head. "Not at all. That's fine."

They got her to Daniel's car with little trouble. She started to giggle when Daniel climbed in after her. Luke hopped in and exited the parking lot quickly. He took the interstate to get to her place faster. Daniel had to start fighting her off the moment he got in the car. She tried to undo his pants several times. Eventually he pulled his belt off and tied her hands behind her back. She struggled for a minute, but then she slumped against the seat.

"You're gonna be in quite a mess if we get pulled over," she said.

Luke hit her exit and turned right at the light. "We're almost there, so I'm not worried."

"Mmmm, but then again, this could be fun! I'm at your mercy, aren't I?" She giggled and snorted in a very unattractive way. They both ignored her.

They reached her apartment three minutes later. Daniel released her and escorted her up to her door. Luke found her keys and unlocked the door. Her roommate Brian looked up as they brought her in.

"Is she drunk?" he asked.

Daniel nodded.

Brian shook his head. "Take her somewhere else. Last time, I had to call the police because she smashed the television and the glass doors in her bedroom. Gretchen bailed her out. She was supposed to be staying with her tonight. She promised."

"What?" Luke asked. He turned to her. "Did you do that?"

She had the decency to look ashamed. "Yeah. It's another reason I have to go."

Daniel said to Brian, "She was a real shit to Gretchen and her other friends too, so Gretchen left her at the bar." He turned to Eliza. "So now we know what kind of 'other stuff' happened, huh?" He sighed heavily. "We'll take her to my place, Brian. Just let her get some stuff, okay?"

Brian nodded. "As long as you stay with her, it's fine."

Luke followed them into Eliza's room as he wondered how the night was going to end.