All Snug Read Free

He’d get all romantic
    and tell me I could get sex anywhere. And I could. But Steve
    was special. It might not be love; I’d given up on that before
    I’d given up on the idea of finding a wild sex partner. And
    B.G. Thomas

    Al Snug [14]

    Steve was all that and more, plus he didn’t charge. Why
    should Shawn’s romantic reasons outweigh my sexual
    needs?
    “And you usually get what you want?”
    I nodded. “I do,” I confessed. “If you win our little
    contest, I let you pay for the rest of the bed, and you take it
    home. If I win, I pay you back what you put into it, and I get
    the bed.”
    Shawn didn’t say anything for a minute, just stared at
    me. Finally, “Fine,” he said.
    “What’s your sweetie’s name?” I asked.
    Shawn shook his head. “You know, let’s leave their
    names out of it. It makes it too personal. I don’t want to start
    feeling guilty when I whip your ass at this.”
    He was joking, but I could also see the sincerity in those
    pretty eyes of his.
    “Fair enough,” I replied. “So, what is the first
    challenge?”
    “The Male Box. Tonight. They’re having this charity
    thing. You sell tickets for people to get their pictures taken
    with Santa. Except he’s some leatherman. I volunteered to go
    through the crowd and get people to buy tickets. So you be
    there too. Whichever one of us sells the most, wins the first
    round.”
    Charity, I thought. Fair enough. I only hoped Shawn was
    as good as he seemed to think he was, because this was
    right up my alley. I’d raised enough money through the
    B.G. Thomas

    Al Snug [15]

    years. Shawn may have bitten off more than he could chew.
    “You got it,” I said.

    THE MALE BOX was packed, music boomed from hidden
    speakers, and there were men everywhere. I had met Shawn
    at the main bar and insisted on buying him a drink. I knew
    he was going to buy himself the cheapest thing he could, and
    if he was going to do that, I figured he might as well start the
    evening with something good. Get a little buzz on, and he
    wouldn’t care that the cheaper alcohol didn’t taste as good.
    So I told the bartender to put Appleton Estate in his
    coke, and I asked for Lagavulin. It surprised me that they
    had it and impressed me as well. The Male Box was more
    upscale than I would have imagined. Kansas City had come
    a long way in the last decade, but it would never be New
    York. It was nice to see a gay bar with good taste. Most
    queens don’t know a ten-year-old, single malt from Black
    Cat. I was usually lucky to get Laphroaig, which was another
    favorite of mine.
    Then Shawn took me to this bear of a man who was in
    town from Maine and who was in charge of the event. We
    were each given ten tickets and told that we could come back
    and get more if we needed them. I planned on needing them.
    “And there is no buying the tickets yourself, Mr.
    Moneybags,” Shawn said.
    “What makes you think I would do such a thing?” I
    asked, giving Shawn my best innocent look and wondering
    how he’d known exactly what I’d been thinking of doing.
    B.G. Thomas

    Al Snug [16]

    Shawn just laughed and vanished in the crowd.
    I finished my whisky and went back to the bartender for
    another. Looking around the room, I enjoyed my drink
    leisurely, taking my time. A Lagavulin ten was not to be
    rushed.
    Neither was making money.
    I watched the crowd, watched what people were buying,
    and then made my move.
    The gentleman I approached looked to be at least sixty-
    five. There was a look to him that said old money, and there
    was no ring on his finger. Two young men sat on either side
    of him and were giggling up a storm. The gentleman had a
    short glass with a small amount of a dark liquid. Scotch?
    Whisky? I wondered. I walked up and introduced myself and
    asked what he was drinking.
    The gentleman looked up and smiled. “Whisky,” he said.
    “You?”
    “Lagavulin,” I replied, and the older man smiled even
    wider.
    “Excellent.”
    “May I get you