century - he might do a bit better. Not by much, however. Even with the suggestion of family wealth, any girl would still have to deal with Freddie being, well...
...Freddie. No other word for it.
Next to him, Freddie talked right over Tanner's halfhearted protest. "Look, I know that you love bragging about this, even if you deny it to my face. I see the way you grin whenever you've got something juicy. So c'mon, spill!"
Tanner sighed as he turned back to Freddie. "Why do I put up with you, again?"
"Oh, I know this one!" Freddie grinned. "Despite all your good looks and charm, you're a shallow asshole who can't make real friends, so you keep me around in order to act as your confidante! And since I'm chubby and nerdy and in IT, you don't feel threatened by me!"
"Brutal," Tanner winced, but he did have to admit that Freddie's words hit home. More importantly than the other man's physical appearance, however, was Tanner's knowledge that, of all the people he knew and worked alongside, Freddie was the only one who didn't feel jealous or envious over the level of power that Tanner commanded. For that simple reason - he didn't fear being backstabbed - Tanner trusted Freddie enough to share all sorts of intimate details of his life.
"Eh, you get used to it." Freddie shrugged. "Now, what sort of fun did you have last night, while the rest of us were in bed like normal people?"
"It eventually ended up in a bed," Tanner said slyly, and Freddie punched him lightly in the shoulder while rolling his eyes. "But I just went to Billy Martin's and tracked down Senator Waltz. Send a few ladies his way, plied them with some champagne, and snuck a few photographs. Easy job."
Freddie shook his head in admiration. "You say that so casually, but you're playing with people's careers! One of these days, you know that you're going to get burned by this."
"Not me," Tanner disagreed. "And when I confronted Waltz this morning, he gave in right away. Look, Freddie, this is just the way that politics really works in this town. It's all about leverage."
"The realist in me knows that what you're saying is true, but the optimist inside me, battered and beaten, keeps hoping that you'll get your comeuppance at some point." Freddie swallowed the last of his beer, dropping the pint glass down heavily onto the wooden bar rail. "You know, that bartender's sure taking a while with your drink. Maybe your flirting game isn't as good as you think."
"Worked on the girls last night," Tanner replied. "When it turned out that Waltz didn't quite have the... energy to perform, shall we say, they were happy to accept me as a substitute." He grinned. "And while the brunettes put in a good effort, the blonde stole the show. She could fit both her legs back behind her head, and still use her arms to-"
He stopped, seeing that Freddie had raised his fingers and plugged both his ears. "Enough, stop torturing me!" he burst out, wincing good-naturedly. "Come on, I know that you're a god at pulling in slutty women, but you drive me crazy with these stories!"
"Then why do you keep wanting to hear them?"
He shrugged. "Torturing myself, maybe? Or maybe I'm just eagerly awaiting the day when the great, all-powerful Keegan Tanner finally meets his match and gets taken down a peg, knocked back down to the level of the rest of us mortals."
"May that day never come," Tanner added, lifting his empty hand as if holding a wineglass for a toast.
"Your drink, sir - sorry that it took so long."
Both of the men glanced up as the bartender reappeared, placing a glass of scotch in front of Tanner. "Again, I'm sorry that there was a wait," she repeated, leaning forward with her elbows on the bar and giving the two men a clear look at her expanse of creamy white cleavage on display. "But I'm done with my shift, now, and I feel awful, just awful. Please, let me know if there's anything at all that I can do to make you feel better." Her lazy wink at Tanner left no ambiguity as to the
...Freddie. No other word for it.
Next to him, Freddie talked right over Tanner's halfhearted protest. "Look, I know that you love bragging about this, even if you deny it to my face. I see the way you grin whenever you've got something juicy. So c'mon, spill!"
Tanner sighed as he turned back to Freddie. "Why do I put up with you, again?"
"Oh, I know this one!" Freddie grinned. "Despite all your good looks and charm, you're a shallow asshole who can't make real friends, so you keep me around in order to act as your confidante! And since I'm chubby and nerdy and in IT, you don't feel threatened by me!"
"Brutal," Tanner winced, but he did have to admit that Freddie's words hit home. More importantly than the other man's physical appearance, however, was Tanner's knowledge that, of all the people he knew and worked alongside, Freddie was the only one who didn't feel jealous or envious over the level of power that Tanner commanded. For that simple reason - he didn't fear being backstabbed - Tanner trusted Freddie enough to share all sorts of intimate details of his life.
"Eh, you get used to it." Freddie shrugged. "Now, what sort of fun did you have last night, while the rest of us were in bed like normal people?"
"It eventually ended up in a bed," Tanner said slyly, and Freddie punched him lightly in the shoulder while rolling his eyes. "But I just went to Billy Martin's and tracked down Senator Waltz. Send a few ladies his way, plied them with some champagne, and snuck a few photographs. Easy job."
Freddie shook his head in admiration. "You say that so casually, but you're playing with people's careers! One of these days, you know that you're going to get burned by this."
"Not me," Tanner disagreed. "And when I confronted Waltz this morning, he gave in right away. Look, Freddie, this is just the way that politics really works in this town. It's all about leverage."
"The realist in me knows that what you're saying is true, but the optimist inside me, battered and beaten, keeps hoping that you'll get your comeuppance at some point." Freddie swallowed the last of his beer, dropping the pint glass down heavily onto the wooden bar rail. "You know, that bartender's sure taking a while with your drink. Maybe your flirting game isn't as good as you think."
"Worked on the girls last night," Tanner replied. "When it turned out that Waltz didn't quite have the... energy to perform, shall we say, they were happy to accept me as a substitute." He grinned. "And while the brunettes put in a good effort, the blonde stole the show. She could fit both her legs back behind her head, and still use her arms to-"
He stopped, seeing that Freddie had raised his fingers and plugged both his ears. "Enough, stop torturing me!" he burst out, wincing good-naturedly. "Come on, I know that you're a god at pulling in slutty women, but you drive me crazy with these stories!"
"Then why do you keep wanting to hear them?"
He shrugged. "Torturing myself, maybe? Or maybe I'm just eagerly awaiting the day when the great, all-powerful Keegan Tanner finally meets his match and gets taken down a peg, knocked back down to the level of the rest of us mortals."
"May that day never come," Tanner added, lifting his empty hand as if holding a wineglass for a toast.
"Your drink, sir - sorry that it took so long."
Both of the men glanced up as the bartender reappeared, placing a glass of scotch in front of Tanner. "Again, I'm sorry that there was a wait," she repeated, leaning forward with her elbows on the bar and giving the two men a clear look at her expanse of creamy white cleavage on display. "But I'm done with my shift, now, and I feel awful, just awful. Please, let me know if there's anything at all that I can do to make you feel better." Her lazy wink at Tanner left no ambiguity as to the
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