Making It Personal by Wells, C. (best non fiction books of all time txt) 📗

was tempting. He’d come out tonight with the express intention of getting drunk, but the alcohol didn’t seem to be working. He couldn’t understand it. So a few more shots can’t hurt, then. To his malfunctioning brain, that actually made sense. “Yeah, same again, thanks, Erroll.” The boy nodded and waltzed off toward the bar. Will sagged back into the padded seat. Seems like this wasn’t his day.

“Where’ve you been, you bitch? Haven’t seen you here in ages!”

Will’s head jerked in the direction of the voice. “Oli!” His face broke into a smile.

Oli grinned widely. “Whatcha doin’ stuck in the corner, Will? You hidin’ from someone?” He winked and Will laughed. “Can I join you?”

“That depends. Where’s the wife?”

Oli pursed his lips. “Watch it, bitch. I’m the wife.” His eyes gleamed. “Ben’s at the bar. He’ll be here in a sec.” Will gestured toward the seat which ran around the table and Oli plonked himself down with a dramatic sigh. He leaned across and kissed Will exuberantly on the lips before sprawling out across the seat. “My feet are killin’ me. I swear, he’s had me on the dance floor for hours!” Will laughed. He knew how much Oli loved to dance, but his passion was fully matched by that of his partner, Ben. The pair could be found at the club most weekends, usually surrounded by a large group of equally gorgeous young men.

“How long have you two been together now?”

Oli’s face stretched into a wide smile. “Two years this September.” His mouth dropped open. “Ooh! You don’t know, do you?” Will was puzzled. Oli held up his left hand and waggled it in front of Will’s face. A white gold band adorned his ring finger.

Will grinned. “That’s great! When did this happen?”

Oli beamed. “During our trip to New Zealand and Australia.” He gave an exaggerated sigh. “It was magical.”

“You chatting up strange blokes again, babe?” Ben appeared with their drinks. He winked at Will.

Will loved Ben’s Antipodean accent. He was originally from New Zealand but had lived in Sydney for a while before moving to London. He gave Ben a nod as he sat down next to Oli, draping an arm around his shoulder, Oli leaning into him immediately. They made a good looking pair. Oli was fair and Ben dark, but both men were lean. Will liked Ben’s muscled biceps and ripped torso, his dark blue T-shirt clinging to him. Oli wore his usual jeans and T-shirt, this one depicting two guys embracing. And of course there was the hoodie. Oli and his hoodies rarely parted company.

“Congratulations.”

Ben’s smile showed off his white teeth. “Aw, thanks, Will.” He took a sip of his beer. “We haven’t seen much of you around here. You been busy? How’s the ‘escort’ business?” He crooked his fingers into quotation marks and leered.

Will grimaced. “Sore point. I haven’t done a lot of work for them recently, to be honest.” He glared at Ben. “And I am a fucking escort, so watch what you say, bitch!” His grin made it clear he was joking.

“Wait a minute,” Oli interjected. “Didn’t you have a night of rampant hot sex with a guy? I seem to recall getting a text from you that you were about to have your first client—literally.” His forehead creased into a frown. “Did I get that wrong?”

Will sighed. “No, you got it right. And it was only the once.”

Ben snickered. “Was it that bad?”

Will chuckled. “Oh, the irony.” Both men looked puzzled. “Actually, it was that good. In fact, it was probably the best sex of my life.”

Oli’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”

Will shook his head. “I wish I was,” he said sadly.

Oli gazed at him with concern. “What happened, babe?” Ben’s face wore a similar expression. Will was suddenly glad of the opportunity to get the whole mess off his chest. For the next ten minutes or so, he related the story, finishing with the morning’s event.

Ben stared at him. “Let me get this straight. You finally told this middle-aged bitch to stop sexually harassing you, and outed yourself in the process?” He guffawed. “Only you, Will.”

Oli gave him a dig in the ribs. “Show him a bit of sympathy. Can’t you see he’s hurting?”

“Ouch!” Ben rubbed his ribs, frowning. “Aren’t you being a bit overly dramatic, babe? I mean, it’s not like it’s going to drastically affect his life there, is it?”

Oli rolled his eyes. “Oh, for a highly intelligent man, you can be so thick sometimes.” He kissed his partner tenderly on the lips. “Will’s in love with his boss,” he explained patiently.

Will gave a start. He hadn’t said that—had he? Oli was watching him intently, a sympathetic expression on his face. His beautiful eyes grew round as he saw Will’s reaction.

“Oh my God,” Oli said softly. “And here was me thinking Ben was blind.”

Will simply stared at him. In love with Blake?

Oli smiled. “Will, the way you look when you talk about Blake, the way you sound… Hate to break it to you, babe, but it’s obvious. You’re in love with him.” He gazed fondly at Will.

Will suddenly felt hollow. “It doesn’t matter,” he said dully. “He’s going to marry Melissa.”

Ben snorted. “And you’re just going to sit back and let that happen? Like hell!”

“Well, what the fuck should I do? Got any suggestions?” Will demanded. “’Cause from where I’m sitting, there isn’t a fucking thing I can do about it.” His cheeks grew hot.

Ben grinned evilly. “Get him within three feet of me and I’ll make him see what a complete ass he’s being.” His expression changed. He gazed earnestly at Will. “He’s about to make the biggest mistake of his life, Will. Can you imagine the horror his life will be from now on? Married to a total bitch who’s not only in it for the money, but also wants him to play it straight. No boyfriends in secret, either. And all because he’s afraid to come out.”

“Now, hang on,” Oli said, laying a hand on Ben’s