Tyler had carefully dressed and put on some of Eric's creation. Surely that would please him. BJ knocked on the door at 5:50. Tyler saw that his face was disgruntled.
On the way down, he asked: "Tell me what weighing on your mind, BJ."
The large muscle held still and put a hand on Tyler's shoulder.
"You have a well-developed intuition, but you also have a recklessness that worries me. You're taking unnecessary risks. And where you claim to have nothing left to lose, I tell you, that's not true. Someone who feels as intense as you still has everything to lose even now."
Stunned Tyler looked at him and he let his heart speak. "Hey, BJ? Would you like to stay with me after the wedding?"
"I thought you wanted to find a lonely place to die?" said BJ, laughing at the memory.
Tyler shrugged. "Yes, something like that," he admitted.
Together they descended the stairs.
When he arrived and before he opened the door to the lobby, BJ said: "I'll be there for you as long as you need me."
Tyler didn't say anything, and he didn't have to. The gratitude was visible in his eyes. He inhaled deeply before he stepped through the open door into the lobby.
His company was already seated and had been introduced. Bahir looked dangerously attractive with his shaved head and stubble. His black eyes glistened under the adored looks Eric threw at him. Tyler had gambled well.
BJ and Nathan were strategically in a different place, but Tyler insisted they ate. To his surprise, his company, with the exception of Fleur, stood up when he arrived at the table. A light blush adorned his cheeks.
"Good evening, everybody."
A waiter pulled his chair and the men sat down again. Tyler sat at a round table with Bahir, Eric, Fleur on the left and right next to him, Jared.
Jared was right about playing in a soap opera. However, he was wrong to suggest that Tyler was in charge. He, too, was just a player. It was time to perform his role.
His mother would have been proud of his table manners, his conversation and his attentive attitude towards his guests. The spark that had clearly passed between Bahir and Eric was kindly regarded by the other three table guests.
"I expressed my wish go clubbing this afternoon. I hope you want to come with me," Tyler said to Bahir and Eric, who were pleasantly surprised and nodded enthusiastically. Then his gaze slipped asking towards Fleur.
"To a gay bar?" she asked, laughing. "Definitely! I don't think it's a punishment to watch beautiful men work up a sweat." Grinning, she leaned back.
"What do you think?" she asked Jared with one hand on his arm.
"As long as I don't have to play for babysitter," he said, tauntingly, to Tyler.
He shook his head untroubled. "That's what I got BJ for."
He beckoned BJ and followed by Nathan they came to the table. "I just told Jared you're taking on the role of my babysitter tonight. Is that okay with you?"
"Sure. After all, you're still a teenager," BJ said, humming.
"Yeah, yeah," Tyler said.
"How about 'Vague the Chaleur'?" asked Fleur.
"No!" it sounded simultaneously from three throats.
She looked surprised at Jared, Tyler and Eric.
"Bad reviews," Eric waved disapprovingly. "I never go there anymore."
"Oh?" was her confused reaction.
"I've heard good things about 'Le regard passionne' or 'La lumiere vivifiante'."
"You're well informed," Bahir said flatteringly.
"I do my best," Eric said, trying to be modest. "So," he looked around the table with anticipation. "Are we going to dance or to drink?"
"Both!" was the shared wish.
"Then I think it would be better to take a different course and just go for the hottest club at the moment." Le peche celeste'. Awesome DJ, spacious dance floor and a huge bar." He turned to BJ and Nathan. "The dance floor is lowered so you have a good overview from the sides. There are clear indicated escape routes and searches are carried out at the door for drugs and weapons."
Tyler picked him up blinking. "You summed that up quite nicely."
The Frenchman grinned broadly. "How did you think I used to get permission to take Jared anywhere?"
Despite himself, Tyler grinned back.
"Does this agree with everyone?" asked Eric.
All the heads nodded.
"Then I'll make a phone call to the owner and we can leave."
Out of nowhere, Jared asked Eric something in lightning speed French.
"Hey," Tyler immediately protested. "No fair."
"I remembered Eric talking about a new project last year. That was this club, wasn't it? You designed the lighting."
Eric gloats under admiration. "I am very satisfied with the result. I hope you are too." With the phone to his ear, he walked away.
Tyler bowed to Bahir. "Everything to your liking?" he asked, smiling.
"What a fascinating man," Bahir said admiringly.
"And fickle, irresponsible, rash," Tyler added.
"Indeed," Bahir responded earnestly. "Like I said, fascinating."
"How do you want to travel?" Tyler asked BJ.
"Two cars. Ms. Al-Din and Mr. Evans with Nathan. The rest with me."
Once everything was settled, Tyler felt his enthusiasm rise. He was walking next to BJ towards the car.
"Erm, BJ?" he said, doubting. "I've noticed that when I go out, I often get into trouble, just like yesterday. Not intentional, but still. I just thought I should let you know."
"Gee, who would have thought that?" BJ said wryly. "You attract problems wherever you go, not just in bars. I just thought I should let you know."
Tyler grinned at him. "I'm so glad you're staying with me."
BJ shook his head. "You're a strange kid."
"Thank you!" said Tyler, stepping in the front seat.
Bahir and Eric were sitting snugly in the back seat. Bahir still looked a little reserved, but Tyler didn't doubt Eric's ability to break through.
'Le peche celeste' had an impressive front that light spots most favorably emphasized. Also impressive was the number of people waiting outside. Many enviable glances were thrown at their group, who could walk unhindered past the gorillas at the door after a friendly look from Eric.
Eric didn't say a word too much. Designed for optimal dance and drinking fun, Tyler predicted a rousing evening. The music was pounding pleasantly in his body. From his spot he oversaw the club and pinpointed without thinking about it the emergency exits, the best escape routes and useful materials for defence.
BJ saw his scan. He leaned over to Nathan and bumped into him.
Smiling, Nathan walked up to Tyler. "Don't worry. We got this."
BJ and Nathan were clearly in their bodyguard mode and Tyler relaxed. He longed to give in to the surrender that the music seemed to demand.
As soon as they settled down and had their first drink, he went on the dance floor with Fleur. Exuberantly, they danced to the cheerful beat.
Eric and Bahir were sitting close together. Jared coyly glanced at them and turned his gaze towards the dancefloor. Their eyes found each other. Tyler beckoned him. Fleur saw his movement and beckoned him, too. Almost immediately, he responded to their request. He moved smoothly across the full dance floor and joined them. This was the first time he saw Jared dance.
"So you linked Bahir to Eric," Jared said as soon as he was with them.
Fleur listened curiously.
"Yes," was his brief response.
"Not your type?" she asked. They were close together so Jared couldn't hear them.
"No, thank you. One unattainable man is enough." Tyler didn't bother softening his words. Fleur colored light and nodded.
To his delight, Jared seemed to abandon his usual reservation. Confident that BJ and Nathan had the situation under control, he surrendered to the music.
Irresistibly attracted to this spontaneous side of Jared, Tyler kept up with him move for move.
Finally Fleur gave up. "I need to sit down," she said panting.
"I'll go with you," Jared said.
"No, stay!" she told him. "It's okay. I'll see you later."
Rising into the music, the two of them danced.
Nothing inappropriate happened. No indecent glances, no forbidden touches and yet they were connected in a way that was visible to everyone. Perhaps it was the harmony of their movements or the ever-equal distance between their bodies?
Eric and Bahir came to dance next to them. "You attract too much attention, mon ami" said Eric.
"Crap," Tyler said. "Not that shit again?" He looked around in search for furious faces.
"I mean, Fleur," Eric said.
Tyler looked at their stall and saw the frown on Fleur's face. He nodded at her and immediately changed his posture. Jared looked at him strangely for a while, but seemed to pick up the reason pretty quickly.
"I'm going to pee," he told Jared.
"I'm coming."
"No, you won't," Tyler said decisively.
"And why not?" pitched Jared with a stubborn counter.
"You know why not," Tyler chided him. On his heels he turned around and disappeared towards toilets.
The tastefully decorated space with a long wall for urinals and on the other side a long wall of sealed toilets, was sparsely filled, as you would expect from a regular club. Tyler emptied his bladder and washed his hands before freezing on the spot.
There stood the two unharmed fighters from yesterday. From the look in their eyes, they hadn't learned their lesson.
"We saw you dancing with your Arabian Princess, filthy faggot," the man to his left spat.
"Are you so shy for a beating, that you insult me again?" asked Tyler incredulously.
Behind him, two toilets opened. He immediately saw that they belonged together. "Ah shit," Tyler pouted. "And I promised to be on my best behavior."
Apparently they had posted someone at the door, because it unexpectedly flew open and a man was thrown in. Taking him in calmly, Nathan entered the bathroom. "Are you all right?"
Tyler nodded. "Did BJ tell you about the brawl yesterday?"
"About those losers you taught a lesson?"
Tyler nodded to the men in front of them.
Nathan laughed. "You don't want to tell me they're stupid enough to try again?" The men took him furiously. "This is none of your business. This is between us and that little faggot."
"Oh?" said Nathan. "Apparently they are." The dangerous grin on his face did not diminish the men's fighting spirit. And that was their stupid mistake.
With respect and interest, Tyler watched Nathan neutralize the men with precise and minimal actions. No clamor or fuss. Simple and efficient. Tyler was deeply impressed.
"BJ has informed security, so they will come soon. I want you to be gone when they do," Nathan said pushing him out of the toilets.
"Okay," Tyler said not putting up any resistance.
On the way back to his company, he first visited BJ.
"Thank you," Tyler said.
"That's what we're here for," BJ said with a frugal smile. "You know, Tyler. Most people have a bodyguard for prevention. I've been out with you for two days and I've been in action twice."
"And your point is?"
"With you, I'm not a luxury product, I'm a necessity. You need protection." Silently, and with a small smile, Tyler heard him.
"The rest didn't notice anything, so you can just go back," BJ said.
Everyone was on the dance floor. As soon as he joined them, Bahir and Jared bowed to him.
"Trouble?" asked Bahir.
Two pairs of black eyes looked at him piercingly.
"Already resolved," he said untroubled.
He put a hand on each of their shoulders and started dancing. Tyler saw that despite moving to the music, they didn't miss a second of the security that ran backwards and Nathan joining BJ five minutes later.
In their stall they were panting while enjoying a delicious cocktail. Bahir glanced over him a few times thoughtfully and let his eyes slide to Nathan.
"Is it always like this?" he asked, without further explaining what he was referring to.
"Yes," Jared and Eric agreed at the time.
"Hey! I'm not doing it on purpose," Tyler countered.
"The protection you evoke in one, elicits the aggression in the other," Fleur said, looking around the table.
"Then I'm especially happy that my protectors pay so close attention," he said with satisfaction. "You should have seen Nathan!" In reverence, he gave a brief account of the confrontation. All seemed to share Tyler's admiration. "I hope this doesn't affect your relationship with the owner, Eric?"
This one shook no. "Marcel hates troublemakers. Nathan did him a favour by solving this so discreetly. Another round?" Eric walked with Bahir and Tyler had no doubt that they would stay away for quite some time. This didn't seem to escape Jared either.
"I'm going to go see Nathan and then I'll bring you back a drink," he said.
Tyler was left with Fleur.
"Now that I have you alone, I'd like to ask you something," Fleur said.
With an open mind, Tyler waited.
"Because Nathan had to leave in a hurry this afternoon, I didn't have time to pick up the rings. Tomorrow I have a lot of things to take care of and I don't see a chance to do it myself. Would you mind getting them for me?"
"Just pick them up? Nothing else?" he asked.
Fleur nodded. "Otherwise my only option is to have them sent over and I really want to prevent that. In addition, you know what the rings look like, because you were there when I picked them out."
"I remember," Tyler nodded to her benevolently.
The rest of the evening went without further details. As expected, Eric and Bahir came back a long time later to say they were leaving. They ordered a cab so BJ could stay with Tyler.
The rest unanimously decided to end the evening. Because they were in separate cars and Nathan was speeding, they didn't arrive at the same time. Tyler didn't know if this was merciful or not.
In the middle of the night, he woke up when a body slid behind him. Tenderly, they made love.
When he woke up, his arms and his bed were empty, but he couldn't blame him. Through the conversation with Bahir, he was again made aware of how much Jared had to lose.