“Seriously, man, that was a great session,” Lincoln said as he emerged from the sound studio carrying an amp. “Least I can do is take you out for a drink.”
“You know I’d love to,”—Jaime squirmed at having to turn down the bearded muscle-bound hunk. He was just Jaime’s type. A bear through and through looking for a cub to cuddle—“but I’ve got karate class tonight.”
Every inch of Lincoln was hard and hairy and as gay as a rainbow Pride parade. He just had the good sense to play it subtle. Just like Jaime preferred his playmates. If he hadn’t sworn off the casual stuff, Jaime would have taken Lincoln up on his offer in a heartbeat.
“We’re playing at the Graveyard next month.”
“I’ll check it out.” Jaime extended his hand.
Lincoln’s grip was firm but gentle. All the more reason Jaime didn’t want to just take him to bed and never see the guy again, which was exactly what would happen. Jaime was never good at second dates.
“See ya around.”
Jaime watched Lincoln leave before letting out a heavy sigh.
“Check my pulse.” Leila thrust her arm at Jaime.
“What?”
“My heart must have stopped beating, because there is no way you’d turn down a hunk of junk like that unless you’ve gone straight.” Leila shook her head disapprovingly. “And if that happens I must have died and gone to my own personal heaven. Marry me.”
Leila made goo-goo eyes at Jaime as he batted her arm away.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Jaime knew his reputation around the studio involved some degree of infamy. Even though he was good at keeping his business and pleasure separate, word got around quick in a world of music, sex, and alcohol. “I’m just busy is all.”
“With karate?” Leila tilted her head and scrutinized him like she was trying to decide if his body had been taken over by aliens or Christian reformists. “You don’t fool me. That guy was doing everything but pinning you to the sound board every time he came in the booth.”
Sometimes the glass window between the reception and sound studios was more a curse than an advertising blessing. Jaime was normally so focused on his work he forgot Leila had a front row seat to the booth that was his private world when he had the headphones on. Lincoln had come in several times to check on the percussion tracks while Shocker and Pale Rider jammed. Always polite but friendly, Lincoln had seemed as interested in Jaime as he was in his tracks.
“Do I need to call in the deprogrammers?” Leila asked and picked up the receiver for effect. “Because I will do anything to get my horny sound tech back.”
“I’m just a little tired of waking up alone.”
Jaime found it easy to talk to Leila. Besides her bubbly personality, the alternative was the marketing guys and execs who were duller than dishwater. Leila at least knew how to crack a smile without dollar signs flashing in her eyes.
“I knew it.” Leila slammed the receiver and pulled open her desk drawer. Within a second, she was shoving a photo of a well-attired man in his late twenties in front of Jaime. “He’s good-looking, gainfully employed, and gay. What more could you ask for?”
“A name and a letter of reference?” Jaime avoided taking the photos. A blind date was the last thing he wanted. The man looked perfectly respectable, and to Jaime that was one step below boring. “I’m not really in the market right now. Taking some time off.”
“Oh, come on.” Leila sighed. “If you won’t go out with me, the least you can do is go out with my cousin.”
Jaime frowned. “You’ve never mentioned this cousin before.”
“Because you were such a cock hound,” Leila put her fingers over her lips too late to stop the words from coming out. “Sorry. You know I love you, sweetie, but you are, were, a dog. There hasn’t been a good-looking man who walked through this door that you haven’t seduced.”
“That’s an exaggeration.” He might like his men toward the straight side, but he drew the line at the unobtainable.
“Okay, I’ll give you that. But you know what I mean. You never walk out of here with the same man twice and certainly don’t show up with them in the morning.” Leila’s pent-up lecture must have been brewing for months. Her apologetic shrug didn’t soften the truth in her words. “That’s not the kind of guy I’d want my cousin to go out with, let alone fall for. He’s had his fair share of disappointment.”
“So why are you showing me his picture now?”
“Because you are a great guy.” Leila’s sweet smile started to take away some of the sting of her words. “You just need to realize you can do better than the sex fiends. You don’t have to wake up alone if you start thinking with your heart instead of your cock.”
Jaime knew she was right, but the idea of a blind date was too cliché. He just needed to get his mind out of the bedroom altogether. Karate was certainly helping with that. Every class was exhausting—mentally and physically. When his head hit the pillow on nights when he had class, he was asleep within minutes. Sometimes he didn’t even masturbate. The physical contact from sparring was a close second to sex, and he didn’t have to worry about the awkward conversation afterward.
“I’m going to be late for class if I don’t get going.” Jaime leaned over the counter and gave Leila a peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“Just think about it.” Leila waved the picture of her cousin at Jaime as he retreated through the studio doors.
When Jaime arrived at the dojo, class hadn’t started yet. An instinctive scan of the room and his eyes locked on Sempai Tyler as he emerged from the changing room. Jaime felt the familiar quickening
