Chapter 1
Frederick POV
It’s Wednesday and I’m waiting for Dan to pick me up for lunch. We’ve known each other for over twenty years and have never been apart. Even now, with our busier lives, we try to see each other at least once a week.
As I finish reviewing some sketches for the design of new rear seats, my office intercom rings, and I hear my secretary’s voice.
“Mr. Jackley, reception lets us know that Mr. Weiss is waiting for you downstairs.”
“Thank you very much Ness, let him know I’ll be down shortly.”
I put on my jacket and look in the mirror before I leave. If we’re going to break hearts like we do at every one of our lunches, I must look presentable. Seeing that everything is fine, I leave my office and head to the elevator.
Thirty floors separate my office from the ground floor, so I have time to finish fixing my hair and my outfit. Not bad.
As I leave the building, I see Dan leaning against a high-end, convertible, very expensive car. As always, he looks impeccable, wearing a blue suit that fits him perfectly, highlighting all his attributes and emphasizing his handsome features. Is it weird that I think this way about my best friend? Nah, I’m sure all friends do.
“New car?” I ask him as I head towards the passenger seat.
“Yes, it was a gift.”
“How good are you in bed to get a gift like this?” I tell him smiling.
He looks at me with a seductive smile and winks, then gets in the car without answering me. I smile and imitate him.
As we enter the restaurant, all the women look at us, and some men too. We just keep our half smile and head to our table.
“Will we ever get tired of this?” I ask him.
“Of course not, we have to take advantage while it lasts! You’re not going to be young forever” he tells me.
“You’re just a prostitute” I tell him laughing, he knows I’m joking.
“Hey! I never ask them for money, I never ask them for anything, I only offer my love. If they want to give me something in return, who am I to refuse?” he tells me with his best innocent child face.
Wow, he really knows how to manipulate people. If he asked me for something with that face, I couldn’t refuse him anything.
A little later, the waitress approaches and stares at us. Minutes pass and she still hasn’t asked us what we want to drink, she just looks at us, both Dan and me, almost drooling on the table.
“Honey, are you going to offer us something?” Dan asks her, referring to the drinks.
“Yes, me! Uh... No... sorry... what would you gentlemen want to drink?”
Dan looks at her with a mischievous smile and asks for our drinks. She walks away trying to hide her red cheeks. We look at each other and laugh.
“You think you’re so superior with your playboy skills, I bet there’s at least one woman or man in this restaurant who wouldn’t fall for your charms.”
“Hey, I accept the bet, but let’s eat first, if there’s a fight for some reason, I don’t want to have to leave without paying” he says smiling.
We eat and chat as usual. The waitress stares at us every time she comes and I swear that, even if we started kissing right now making it clear to her that we’re gay -if we were, which I’m not, Dan is Bi but I’m not into that stuff-, she wouldn’t stop looking at us with that lust in her eyes, I think she’s one of those girls who likes to see guys kissing, I’ll never understand why.
“Well, back to the deal. What do we bet?” Dan asks me.
“Can I choose the victim”
“Of course!”
I search around the room looking for someone who seems especially difficult. After a while I see a couple in love. They are holding hands and looking at each other with true love. I watch them chat, gesticulate, attend to each other, and I see the kisses they give each other.
“Over there” I point to Dan.
“Her? It won’t take two minutes!” he says with a smile on his face.
“No, him” I say pointing to the boyfriend. “And nothing forced or anything like that, you have to get him to kiss you willingly and in front of everyone present.”
Brendan laughs out loud
“Ok, but if I win you have to accompany me for two weeks to all the meetings I attend. I always thought that, with your appearance, you would be good at this ‘profession’.”
I hesitate a little, what if I lose? No, there is no way that will happen.
“Okay” I say “but if I win you can’t have sex for two weeks” I see how Dan’s features change putting on a sad face that almost breaks my heart. Almost.
“No sex?”
“Nothing”
“Ok, deal” he extends his hand, and I shake it closing our bet. We pay the waitress leaving everything set in case we must leave quickly.
The couple’s table is close to us, so I can hear everything they say.
Dan approaches them, in less than a minute he manages to get the man to stand next to him. He is barely taller than him.
“Thanks” I hear Dan say and I see him paying his best lost puppy eyes.
“Do you see that man sitting at that table?” They look at me and I greet them with my hand, “He’s my boyfriend” Dan continues “But he just told me that I’m a bad kisser, would you be so kind as to kiss me and tell me what you think? It’s just that no one had ever told me that I kiss badly, he really hurt my feelings.”
At that moment the man moves away a little looking at Dan with a disgusted face. I enjoy my victory.
“Don’t get me wrong!” Dan says approaching again, this time he grabs the man’s suit at waist level and with his other hand caresses his cheek, changing strategy. He looks the man directly in the eyes, with a seductive look capable of attracting any human being on earth. “I really want you to kiss me, I’m sure if there’s something I don’t know, you can teach me” this time, I see how he makes a little click with his teeth and barely peeks the tip of his tongue licking his upper lip.
I see how the man swallows with difficulty without taking his eyes off Dan’s lips. At that moment, he takes him by the waist and gives him a kiss, and to my surprise, and I think Dan’s too, not a peck, but a complete make out session full of hidden desires.
The kiss goes on and on, if Dan doesn’t stop it, I don’t think the man will. At that moment I see how the two are abruptly separated by the girlfriend who slaps the boyfriend with all her strength and walks out the door of the restaurant crying. The boyfriend runs after her but retraces his steps and murmurs something in Dan’s ear to then run out of the restaurant to catch up with his gril. Dan approaches me smiling.
“You really are impressive. What did he say to you?” I say to him amazed.
“That I’m an amazing kisser. Now I need you to get all your stuff together to go on a two-week vacation because during that time, you’re going to be mine 24/7.”
“Ok I know, a deal is a deal. Give me a few days to get everything in order” he nodded, and we left the restaurant.
Back in my office I start to get my stuff together for my ‘vacation’. This could be fun, I think to myself, what could go wrong?
