“Don’t let her get to you.” Vic ran a handthrough Matt’s hair, pushing it back from his brow, and smiled athis lover before they kissed again. The love Matt saw shining inVic’s eyes softened his harsh features, making him perfect. “That’swhat she wants, and God forbid you let her win.”
With a surprised laugh, Matt let Vic lead himto the car.
* * * *
Vic’s day passed quickly—it was shorter thanusual, six hours instead of his regular eight, because someone inmanagement had grown worried about the excess amount of leave timea few long-term employees had gathered over the years and wasforcing them to take it piecemeal to avoid any problems down theroad. Having worked for the city’s transportation authority formost of his adult life, Vic had enough vacation time squirreledaway to take off ten consecutive months if he wanted. Before he metMatt, he’d never bothered taking any time—there had been no needto. Now, though, he was always taking off, though the reason behindhis frequent absences wasn’t usually what he’d call a “vacation.”He’d already used all his sick time calling in whenever he drew acrappy power after a night of loving Matt, and had resorted totaking personal days when he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—go out inpublic.
Vic knew his boss was worried by theabsences. Whenever he clocked in, he couldn’t help but pick up onMr. Morrison’s thoughts—the old man suspected Vic was job hunting,which was ridiculous, really. In this economy, why would he leave ajob he’d held for years only to jump ship now? To assuagehis boss’s fears, Vic had agreed to the reduced hours, workingthirty hours a week and shaving ten hours off his vacation. Whensummer started and some of the other drivers took their own timeoff, Vic would still get overtime by working a double shift. Andhe’d have plenty of time to take in September, when Matt had a weekoff from the gym.
Still, a six-hour shift would take somegetting used to. After the late lunch Vic usually ate, he wassurprised to find he had less than two hours before he had to headback to the garage. It felt strange turning off his sign anddriving past the bus stop crowded with commuters, and the trafficon the interstate was a little heavier than he anticipated. It’dbeen quite a while since he had sat behind the wheel of his own carat this hour of the day—the sunlight was all wrong, reflecting offthe duct tape that held his steering wheel together, and nightdidn’t descend as he drove home.
At the curb in front of his apartmentbuilding, he had a panicky moment when his heart stuttered in hischest because Matt’s black Jaguar wasn’t there. But it wasn’t evensix thirty yet, and Vic didn’t know how long it usually took hislover to get home. Had he worked late? Did he manage to pick upSadie before the daycare closed?
Another scary thought struck. Was the dog allright?
Vic shook his head as he climbed out of thecar. Matt was fine, the dog, too. It was Vic who was thrown offwith this wacky new schedule. And, as if to prove it, a sleek Jagslid into the spot behind Vic’s battered old Corolla before he evenmade it to the front steps. Pounding hip hop music blared from thestereo, vibrating the very air around Vic. He stopped, turned, andsaw Sadie lunge out at him through the passenger side window, hermouth open to bark but the sound lost in Matt’s music. When Mattcut off the car, silencing the beat, she barked again, happy to seeVic. The moment Matt unbuckled her seat belt, she scrambled throughthe open window.
“Watch the paint!” Matt cried.
Sadie ignored him. Racing across thesidewalk, she launched herself at Vic’s legs, tongue lolling as shesnuffled into his palm. When she found he held no treats, sheworked her way under his hand, forcing him to pet her ears. Hertail slapped against the steps, Vic’s legs, the azaleas Mrs. K hadplanted in front of the building. The dog wasn’t just pleased tosee him—she was ecstatic, as if it hadn’t been this morningwhen he dropped her off at daycare but years ago, and she’d beenpining away for him ever since.
When Vic heard Matt set the alarm on his car,he looked up to find his lover struggling to carry a large bag ofdog food in both arms. Plastic bags swung from his wrists, eachmarked PetSmart. So they’d been shopping, had they? And fromthe looks of those bags, Sadie had made out like a bandit. “Alittle help here,” Matt muttered from behind the bag of dogfood.
With little effort, Vic plucked the bag fromMatt’s embrace and tucked it under one arm. Fifty pounds of kibblewas nothing compared to the thousand pounds of steel and iron helifted on a daily basis. Matt stepped up, eyes closed, mouthpuckered. “Kiss me,” he demanded.
Vic didn’t need to be told. What began as aquick peck devolved into something slow and sensuous as Matt chasedthe first kiss with another, and another, and a third. He stood ontiptoe, reaching for Vic, who wrapped his free arm around Matt’swaist and held him close, raising him off the ground an inch or twoas they kissed. But when Vic licked into Matt, hungry for more, hislover pulled back. “These bags are heavy,” he complained.
Vic set him down on the lower step and tookthe plastic bags from him, as well.
Unburdened, Matt knelt and tried to clipSadie’s leash onto her collar, but the dog was still too excitedand refused to sit still. “What are you doing home so early? Sadie,stop!”
The dog bounded up the short flight of stairsand scratched at the door to their building. When Matt followed,she rounded behind Vic, trotting a little way down the sidewalkbefore turning to dig in the freshly turned earth by Mrs. K’splants. “Sadie!” Matt cried, chasing after her. “Get back here.Vic…”
Vic barked, “Sit!”
Immediately, Sadie heeded him. Matt threw hislover
