Loud jeering rose from the swollen crowd, Jared, standing in front of the table to drink a sip of water, turned to his new guest. Nonchalantly, he leaned against the edge of the table. "Well, Tyler Reed. Isn't this unexpected," Jared said. The only indication that he wasn't as cool as he was posing was the tension in his shoulders.
"I'm willing to pay twenty dollars to see how Tyler here, kisses Dr. Evans," Lindsey said.
In a totally rehearsed movement, she raised $20. "For thirty seconds," she added defiantly looking around.
Several people were already digging in their wallets.
Tyler bowed his head. Providence offered him a unique opportunity to stick it to his arrogant boss. This time he was the one in control. With an enchanting smile, he spread his arms and addressed the audience. "Ladies? Do you really want me to kiss the good doctor in front of everyone here?", he asked, feigning to be shocked.
Over his shoulder, he looked at Jared, who followed him unmoved with his black eyes. Cheers rose. "Really?", he played innocently. Tyler looked around the crowd mischievously. "Then show me how much you want it," he whipped up the crowd. A sea of waving twenty-dollar bills appeared in front of him. The crowd swelled to record heights and the volunteers of the kissing booth went crazy. The money came in so fast that they were almost overrun when collecting.
An employee came onstage and whispered something in Jared's ear.
"You get 30 seconds," Jared said as soon as they were on stage alone.
"I don't understand why you're in such a sour mood," Tyler remarked softly but undeniably defiant. "Think of the amount of money you're bringing in with this."
Jared shook his head exasperated. "Shut up and kiss me."
An excited jeering from the audience rose up.
A volunteer with a stop guard shouted, "Time starts now!"
Tyler felt his heart rate accelerate as he let his hand slide down Jared's neck. With a slight caress of his lips and tongue, he tasted the sweetness of leftover lip gloss on Jared's lips. Careful, he put more pressure. Looking for a response, he moved his mouth for more contact. Jared kept his body stiff and refused to respond to Tyler's subtle enticement. Tyler struggled to resist the desire to force him to react.
"Time is up!"
A collective sigh rose from the crowd.
Unfazed, Jared pulled Tyler's hand out of his neck and shoved him away. "Next!", it sounded mocking.
Tyler had to admit. That stung!
With a final bow to his adored audience, he left the stage.
"That was great, Tyler. Spectacular, man," he heard around him. Determined not to let himself be knocked out of the field, he put an arm around Lindsey and walked on together. In a out of sight spot, he pushed her away. "Why on earth did you do this?"
"You've been such an unfeeling and brooding prick lately. I saw my chance to get back at you." Shaking her head, she picked him up. "I could have known you were going to put the situation to your hand," she smiled.
Tyler immediately forgave her. "How much do you think we collected?"
"I asked the Treasurer. About twenty-eight hundred dollars. Some of it goes to the clinic."
'At least that should make him happy,' Tyler thought.
After taking Lindsey home around 10:30 p.m., he took a route home that took him past the practice. It stabbed him more than he would admit to anyone how easily Jared had pushed him away. Surprised, he saw that there was still light burning. He saw Jared's car and parked next to him. Slightly agitated, he got out. The back door was loose and he carefully walked in. There was no sign of Jared in the whole building. Just about to give up, he walked to the back door that suddenly opened.
There stood Jared with raised eyebrows and a disgruntled look.
"What are you doing here?"
Tyler didn't let the unfriendly greeting knock him out of the field.
"I was looking for you."
Jared looked at him furiously. "Haven't you humiliated me enough? Are you coming over to do it again?"
Tyler's mouth collapsed in amazement. "Humiliated? What are you talking about? I also put my reputation on the line by..."
"Don't make me laugh," Jared interrupted him harshly. "First your girlfriend has me reduced to an act in a freakshow and then you play the hero who sacrifices himself for charity by kissing me." "How good of Tyler," he recalled in a girl's voice. "How brave. Was he a good kisser?" Jared snorted. "So next time you want to play the hero? Leave me out of it!"
Tyler shook his head. With one hand on Jared's arm, he tried to hold him. Simple enough, the hand was shaken away.
"What? No! Damn!' he exclaimed as Jared got away from him.
Tyler followed him closely.
"Come on. I really think you're overreacting. I barely touched you. You act like you've been accosted in public. And besides that, the kiss wasn't that bad, was it?"
Like being bitten by a snake, Jared turned around.
Anger and disbelief fought around his face.
"Arrogant brat! Now you want me to judge your performance?", he cried furiously.
His always strong self-control faltered.
"Okay, you asked for it. For someone who always pretends to be the big man, you kiss like a whimp."
"A whimp?", repeated Tyler indignantly.
Like two fighting roosters, they faced each other.
"At least I wasn't standing there like a cold fish," Tyler sneered.
Jared's black eyes spat fire. "If you had given me something to respond to, I would have done this. So take responsibility."
"I took the responsibility you didn't want," defied Tyler, who pricked the furious man in the chest before him rashly. "Don't shove anything in my shoes because you're afraid of losing to someone like me."
Jared's self-control faltered and fell. Tyler's eyes grew big when Jared took a step forward. With a predatory smile, he mockingly said, "Isn't it about time you learned that I don't ever lose to someone like you."
Hard hands grabbed him by the shoulders and held him in place. As he saw Jared bring his head towards him, his breathing accelerated and his heart ran wild.
"What are you doing?", he asked hoarse.
"Little boys who don't want to listen should be taught." Unceremoniously, Jared dived on his mouth and claimed him.
Nailed to the ground, Tyler let the storm come over him. Hot lips swept over his and wiped every thought out of his head. Deep inside him awoke the hunger that had been dormant in his consciousness since the day he saw Jared naked. It took all his willpower to keep his hands from pulling him closer and responding to the seductive movements of the tongue in his mouth.
His humiliation was complete when Jared coolly pushed him away and wiped his mouth.
"Go home and tell your girlfriend not to play such pranks again."
Unable to utter a sensible word, he left the practice, stumbling across his own feet.
'Why did Jared think it necessary to end his meagre victory of that night in a massive defeat?'
The house was dark because they had to go up early the next day for an outing to the amusement park. Tyler was tossing for a long time before he slipped into a restless sleep.