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Chapter One

Whenever Treston had a ave him both hope for the future and peace of mind about his sordid past In his own innocent way, he truly believed life was all about peace, love, hope, and change

Treston loved being in love If he had a man in his life, he smiled more often, spoke with a softer tone, and even tended to walk down the street with a lighter step

It didn’t matter he’d only known most of the men he’d been in love with a feeeks It mattered even less Treston had felt this way so many times he’d lost count Each time he fell in love with a new man, he told himself it would be different and all his troubles were finally over He truly believed the rightBut o to please his man

By the time he met Harlan Rocks, Treston enty-five years old and had already been through so ht be wrong with him He’d fallen in love with semi-pro athletes who scratched their crotches and spit on public sidewalks He’d fallen in love with older er men, and even a few married men He tried not to think too often about the Catholic priest he’d fallen in love with two years earlier The priest eventually chose God over hi hi involved with a priest in the first place But Harlan Rocks was different This time Treston knew he’d found the true love of his life and nothing could stand in the way of his happiness

At the tias called The Male Roos most people would have considered questionable at best to ht he e at the end of a long bar He’d just broken up with his onzo porn star, and he hadn’t been in the mood to smile, dance, or take off his clothes for anyone The only reason he was there at all hadhis body around for other men He was already three weeks behind and his landlord was ready to kick his account he’d been keeping for that proverbial rainy day

Theup at hi Brent disappeared and he sent the dark handso at the bar below hi his hips in ahis legs wider He started to sot about everyone else in the club and concentrated on looking at the dark-haired ht

By the time Treston’s shift was over, Harlan stood up and helped hinored all the other litter thong and he continued to focus on Harlan as if he were the only man in the room

Though he kneas against the rules for the male strippers to actually touch the custo and then he set both pal a black leather jacket, with a white shirt and tight faded jeans He also wore sunglasses and Treston couldn’t actually see his eyes As he braced his hands on Harlan’s shoulders and Harlan reached for his waist, he jue in his bare feet and said, “Thanks soman”

One of the other custorabbed the guy’s arh clenched teeth “Don’t touch unless you have perrabbed Treston had to be at least seventy years old, carrying the creep flag as high as he could

This unsolicited act of chivalry sent a thrill up the back of Treston’s legs and he leaned forward to kiss his new hero on the cheek “Thanks so much I hate when the customers touch me that way They aren’t supposed to touch lanced up at Harlan with the e He really didn’t rabbed him; he was so used to it he rarely even noticed when it happened But he didn’t want Harlan to know that

Harlan squared his shoulders and said, “Don’t you worry about it I’ll kick anyone’s ass who tries to fuck around with you” He still had his hands on Treston’s waist and he’d h now for Treston to feel his erection pushing through the front of his jeans against Treston’s naked pelvis “I’m Harlan Rocks”

Treston spoke in a soft, low tone, just barely loud enough for Harlan to hear “I’h,” he said His real nae nalanced to the right and saw his boss glaring at hiet into trouble I’m not supposed to socialize with the customers this way”

Harlan squeezed his waist tighter and said, “I’ll wait here for you”

After that, they went back to Treston’s small apart to shower, eat, or leave the apartet out of Harlan, he learned his new love had just arrived in town and he was looking to start a whole new life This was the kind of man who had always excited Treston the most Men who picked up and moved to new cities and started new lives were not only the best lovers but also the ones who tended to ignore what Treston did for a living

At least, that’s hoorked in the beginning with Harlan But during the second week, Harlan brought a man back to the apartment and he pulled Treston into the bathrooht fro a double shift at the club that he could barely move his are that involved a ping-pong ball shooter and ping-pong balls—the customers liked him because he came up with new and innovative ideas all the time that set hi hi to bed now I hope you don’t mind if I don’t sit up with you and your buddy”

Harlan grabbed hilasses again and Treston couldn’t look into his eyes “You’ve got to do ht This dude out there wantscards and I lost So I ed to convince him I could pay him another way…instead of with money Could you do me this favor?”