Part Four
“That was a small taste of what we could have. If you want more, with me, I’ll be here again on Friday..... We’ll spend most of the evening here at the club, but it would be even better if we spent time together somewhere without other distractions. Are you free this weekend?”
The softly spoken words replayed in his thoughts and DiNozzo wanted to say ‘yes’ but he had never met this man before and forced caution to the fore. Gibson was handsome with a body to match, but all he knew about him, assuming it was the truth, was his name, age, and previous career. The other thing he also knew was that he had just been given an experience like no other he had ever known and he wanted more. Tentatively, he asked, “What would it entail?”
“We’d get to spend some time together in private and... you’d get the chance to explore and sample a little more of what it’s like to be with a Dom... If you think you can handle it?”
Not rising to the baited challenge, DiNozzo cautiously replied, “That’s a loaded question.”
“It’s a free choice. You can say yes or no.”
“What if the answer is ambiguous? What if I need to know more before making a decision?”
“Ambiguous is understandable.” Gibbs replied. “You obviously need time to think about it.”
“Oh, I definitely need more time.” DiNozzo agreed. “I’m not really up to it right now.”
“It’s almost midnight, so you have all of tomorrow and most of Friday to decide.” Gibbs replied.
“That less than forty-eight hours.”
“I’m not asking you to move in with me, Anthony, just to spend some time together. How hard can it be?” Gibbs stated without infliction. Seeing by the expressive gaze he was receiving that his offer was being seriously considered, he added, “On Friday, go straight home from work. Freshen up and put together what you need to see you through the weekend and for work on Monday. Then meet me here, no later than 8pm.”
Thinking of the sometimes unexpected demands of his job, DiNozzo said, “What if I’m late, or don’t show...”
“Then we’ll never mention it again, but maybe we’ll occasionally see each other here at the club.” Gibbs informed him as he got to his feet. Stepping out of the booth, he said, “It’s time to call it a night.”
“You’re leaving?” DiNozzo tried to keep the disappointment from sounding. “It’s still early.”
“Doesn’t matter what time it is, Anthony. Besides, you’re going home as well.”
“I am?” DiNozzo threw back at him. “I mean, why am I? Why should I...”
“Because there’s no way you’re staying here without me. Not tonight, not with others knowing we ...danced...” Gibbs threw back meaningfully. “Besides, if you aren’t already, then you must be starting to feel uncomfortable and you’re definitely not going to be using the facilities here to get cleaned up.”
Heat flooded DiNozzo’s face at the very unnecessary reminder that he had come in his pants. He had been doing his best not to fidget, but if they were not having this conversation he would already have excused himself to go to the john and tried to tidy up a little. As it was, the cooled semen was pooled around his groin and soaking into the front of his boxers. Hoping the dampness had not yet passed through to his jeans, he stated, “I can watch my own back, Gibs. Been doing it for years.”
“I don’t doubt it, but if I’m not with you there’ll be others here thinking they can try their luck and I won’t tolerate that.” Gibbs threw back and locked their gaze.
The intensity of the look combined with the possessive statement set butterflies flying in DiNozzo’s stomach. Self-consciously moving his right hand to cover the area of his jeans that was in danger of becoming stained, he stood up and Gibson lightly, but firmly, grasped his left wrist.
Leading DiNozzo away from the table towards the exit, Gibbs momentarily paused to say, “Your friends are watching, Anthony. You should wave goodnight to let them know you’re all right.”
“Bastard.” DiNozzo cussed, knowing to raise his other hand would reveal the darkening patch on his jeans that he knew was beginning starting to show.
“Yeah, it’s what the ‘b’ in Gibson stands for.” Gibbs grinned, waiting for him to comply before moving on.
~*~*~
Abby had spent the remainder of her evening enjoying a girl’s night out with Tamara and a few others they had managed to round up at short notice. The mix of chatter and dancing had provided enough of a distraction to prevent her from dwelling too deeply on what was happening at Spartac. Too exhausted by the time she had got home to think about Gibbs and Tony, she had been climbed into bed and soon fallen into a heavy sleep. The next morning, however, it was a quite different matter. Waking early and abruptly recalling the part she had played the previous evening, she wanted further updates and anxiously waited for one of the boys to ring or otherwise come up with the goods.
Now in her lab, with curiosity and anxiety levels still high as she switched on the various machines, she heard her cell phone as it buzzed for attention with an incoming text and rushed over to pick it up. A quick glance informing her who it was from, she eagerly opened the message:
Morning, sweetie, I know you must be waiting for the gossip but I’ve had a long night. Off to bed now so DO NOT call. To keep you going, will be sending some of the tell-tale pics taken. Later... J xxx
Wondering how James had spent the earlier hours if he was only just now getting home, she was not kept waiting for very long before her phone buzzed several times over to indicate it was receiving the photographs.
~*~*~
Another person who had also arrived at the Naval Yard early was now booting up his own computer in readiness to go over Burley’s work later and see if he had discovered anything more of note. Entering his password and waiting for full access to be gained, he collapsed the windows, picked up the caffeine laden beaker collected from his favourite shop on the way into work and walked out of the bullpen. Taking the stairs instead of the now busy elevator to the basement, Gibbs allowed his thoughts to go back over the previous evening.
...Leaving Spartac still firmly grasping a wrist, he had led an unresisting DiNozzo outside and flagged down a passing cab. His free hand briefly squeezing the other man’s damp groin as he ushered him inside and closed the door, he had then tapped on the roof and it had pulled away. Watching as the vehicle took a left turn in the direction of the motel at which he knew the detective was staying, he was satisfied that DiNozzo was actually doing as he had been told. Feeling pleased, he headed for his parked car and was soon journeying to his own home.
Easily able to clear his mind of unwanted thoughts and only think about his evening at the club, he realised that the half-promise he had made to himself had not been kept. For all that he had certainly made a good start in the intended seduction of Anthony DiNozzo, he had not laid hands on his bared flesh. Looking forward to putting that to right as they got better acquainted, he recalled the feel of the firm body hidden beneath figure hugging clothes and the pleasing physical responses that had been elicited. Having good control of his own body responses he had been able to keep his own reaction banked down, but once stretched out comfortably in his bed he had replayed each touch and stroked himself into a very satisfying orgasm before gradually fallen into a restful sleep...
Now in full work-mode, confident that his success in initiating a connection to DiNozzo would, in turn, enable him to discover if the cop had a connection to his father’s illegal business dealings, he walked through the door to Abby’s domain. Briefly wondering about the lack of music, he saw the lab tech standing in front of a computer monitor, apparently enrapt by what she was viewing. Side-stepping until he could clearly see what was holding her attention, he recognised the two men on screen and snapped, “Where the hell did you get those!?”
Startled and twirling towards the accusatory voice, Abby yelped, “A friend sent them to me!”
“Abby.” Gibbs narrowed his eyes, not prepared to be messed with.
“He did!” Abby insisted, wondering how else he thought she had got them. “He sent them to my cell this morning after taking them at the club last night.”
“He, who?” Gibbs wanted to know who had been up that close and almost too personal.
“James. You would have seen him last night. He’s a friend of Tony’s too...”
“Probably one of the men that were at the bar with DiNozzo.” Gibbs nodded, realising, that if not totally innocent, neither was it something sinister. Merely a friend of Abby’s and DiNozzo’s taking interest into what, by his own admission, was DiNozzo’s first foray into actually doing something with another man. Taking another moment to look at the images of himself and the detective leaning against a pillar and fixating momentarily on the detective’s dreamy expression, he belatedly chastised her, “Get those damn pictures down!”
Grinning, Abby closed the windows, not saving them to a file, without a word of grumble. Not that it mattered, since she still had them on the memory card of her cell! Knowing that Gibbs would expect no less from her, she cheekily said, “Those photo’s are hot!”
Gaining no verbal response, she added, “You could make good money selling them...”
“Abby.” Gibbs calmly and softly interrupted her.
“Well, you could! If they were to get put out on the net...”
“Abby!” Gibbs snapped with more heat in his voice and shot her a warning glance to go with it.
“Hey, I’m only saying! Besides, I already told you, I didn’t take them.”
“If you think there’s a chance this ‘James’ guy would do something like putting them....”
“He wouldn’t...”
“It crossed your mind. How can you be sure he won’t think of doing it?”
“Because he’s my friend and I know my friends well, Gibbs. He may not know you or owe you anything, but he’s a friend of Tony’s and though he may tease him a lot, he wouldn’t deliberately do anything to hurt him.”
“You’re pretty sure of your friends, Abby.”
“I am and don’t you forget it. Don’t forget that Tony’s a friend, too...”
Briefly wondering how many more times Abby would feel the need to restate her friendship with DiNozzo and whether or not he needed to remind her of the reason why he was being investigated, Gibbs realised that they would be going in never decreasing circles and shook his head. Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “Is James the only one you’ve heard from about last night?”
“Oh, I’m sure the other guys will be in touch... but you didn’t mean them, did you?”
“You’re the one who keeps saying what good friends you are.” Gibbs deadpanned.
“If he doesn’t call me before I go home, I’ll try contacting him this evening...”
“Is that a good idea?” Gibbs deflected, not sure he wanted her to know more than the fact that they had been on the dance floor, close and ...personal... as the photographs clearly revealed.
“Tony knows the guys would be sure to tell me all about it and he knows me well enough to know that I’d demand to know the details.” Abby countered. “Though, you could always tell me yourself?”
“I could.” Gibbs admitted. “But I’ll leave that up to DiNozzo.”
“Gibbs!” Abby pouted. Aware that Tony would probably heavily edit his side of the conversation, not that Gibbs was likely to elaborate very much on the good stuff, she gave an exaggerated sigh. Then, all teasing aside, she realised that Gibbs, consciously or otherwise, was actually protecting Tony’s sensibilities by leaving it to the other man to decide what to say and reveal. Equally, by doing so, he was leaving himself open to more than he may have wished to be discussed and known. Without any hesitance, she leaned over and placed a kiss on Gibbs’s cheek.
Pulling back a little as he traced the spot, Gibbs asked, “What was that for?”
“Just for being you!” Abby broadly smiled and turned back to her work.
Wondering if he’d ever understand more about the workings of her mind, but liking what he did, Gibbs shook his head and offered, “I’ve got spare time on my hands. If you could use some help...”
~*~*~
Closing one case file and reaching for another, DiNozzo tried to stifle a tired yawn. Usually able to sleep almost anywhere and at any time, it had all but eluded him the previous night and he had only caught a few snatches that had hardly granted him sufficient rest. Try as he might he had not been able to fully switch off his thoughts and imagining how it might have been if Gibson hadn’t treated him like Cinderella and insisted that he left the club before midnight. The analogy brought a small, secretive smile to his face before slightly altering his line of thought. If he was ‘Cinderella,’ did that make Gibson his Prince Charming? Well, he had certainly charmed his way into getting a positive reaction to his offer of a drink and... Wait. Back up. What was he thinking? No way! The taxi may have had a loose analogy to a horse drawn coach, but he was definitely not Cinderella!!
“Hey, Tony, you gonna eat that?”
“Eat what?” DiNozzo looked over at Cohen with a puzzled frown.
“The doughnut you haven’t touched. What else did you think?”
“I didn’t think...” DiNozzo floundered, trying to get his act together. “I wasn’t thinking anything...”
“Christ, kid, you’re really not with it today. Did you have a hard night or something?”
As Cohen reached out and swiped the doughnut for himself and took a large bite, DiNozzo lifted his head in time to see him sucking flakes of sugary icing from his fingers and convulsively swallowed as he recalled Gibson nibbling on his own fingers and then doing the same to his. The same and then a little later... Putting his fingers or thumb into his partner’s mouth as a prelude to sex was something that he had never thought of doing and would never have occurred to him. Accepting another man’s fingers into his mouth had felt strange and very intimate. When things had become even more intimate and that thumb had started moving whilst the hand holding him had gently squeezed and manipulated... What was it with the thumb? It had been one of the hottest, most intense things he had ever known and he had ardently suckled like his life had depended on it...
“Hey! Tony! Are you okay, kid?” Cohen frowned at him. “You’re looking a little flushed...”
“What? No, I’m okay. I am. I’m just a little bit...” Realising he was practically babbling as he tried to pull himself together, he took a deep breath and said, “Being stuck behind this desk is getting to me and I need a break from these files. Think I’ll go on a coffee run and get some more doughnuts.”
“You didn’t touch any from the last batch.” Peterson gave him a curious look.
“I know, but I’ll be going without all day unless we get some more.” DiNozzo cheekily threw back. “And since I can’t see either of you hurrying to volunteer, I guess that leaves it to me.”
“Make it the ones with lots of raspberry jam.” Cohen nodded, licking away the last of the icing.
Free of the spell now that the associated memory had played out, DiNozzo nodded agreement.
~*~*~
Still running various tests for other teams as well as the work being done for Gibbs, Abby had appreciated his offer to assist but preferred to handle most of it by herself to ensure nothing would be over-looked, which was a definite possibility when things were segmented. She did, however, relish that Gibbs was spending so much work time with her and was pleased when he had decided to stay and use one of her computers to trawl through more newspaper articles on the DiMarco’s.
Making the most of his company she managed to draw a little conversation from him, but despite her best efforts, other than saying she had done well, he avoided any other kind of elaboration on the events of the previous evening. Far from satisfied with the sparse details that she possessed and determined to find out more, she said, “So, you’re going to Spartac again, right?”
Undercover or not, the fact was that Abby used the club and knew many of its patrons, so there was little point in trying to keep secret what she would find out for herself, if not hear it from others. With that in mind and aware that she would not totally give up trying to get more from him, Gibbs half smiled as he replied, “I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“And you’ll be seeing Tony?”
“Yes.” Gibbs answered laconically, thinking of the photographs she had been viewing.
“Well, of course you will, but what happens now?”
Aware that she was voicing her racing thoughts, Gibbs silently waited for her to finish.
“I mean, it was already arranged that we’d meet up with the guys on Friday. If one of us didn’t make it, the rest would still go, so...”
“So, you still go.”
“Won’t that be a problem? I mean, the others saw you last night, but I wasn’t there, so...”
“As you keep telling me, your friends aren’t likely to keep it to themselves, so chances are that some time before tomorrow night you’ll have heard all about it.”
Abby nodded.
“So, you’ll have heard of me and when I show up you’d be curious to see the man Tony had ... danced with.”
Another vigorous nod accompanied by a big smile.
“Can you play it as strangers?”
“I don’t know. I mean, I can try.” Abby looked uncertain. “What if I let something slip? I’m not...”
“Then we play it as having met at one of the clubs, that we’re on nodding and name terms, friendly but not deeply acquainted. Can you manage that?”
“I think so. I think I can do that. Yes, I can do that.”
“Good girl.” Gibbs smiled.
Only a short time passed before Gibbs stated that it was time for more coffee and had promised another Caf-Pow would also be supplied. Caffeine addiction was just one more thing amongst many that they shared. Eagerly looking forward to her next fix, she was distracted by the buzzing of her cell phone and picked it up. The number for the caller on display, she smiled as she greeted, “Tony!”
“Abby, how you doing?”
“I’m good. Got the troops working away to find me the answers I’m looking for.”
“Captain Comparison Microscope behaving himself more than Major Mass Spec?” he teased.
“What have I told you about disrespecting my boys?”
On his way back to the forensics lab, Gibbs could hear Abby talking. From her speech pattern, it was obviously to someone not present, which implied that a telephone conversation was taking place. As he entered he realised it was a personal call and trod quietly so as not to intrude.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to upset them!” DiNozzo chuckled. “Guess you’re busy then?”
“I’m never too busy to have a chat with you, Tony!” Abby deliberately used his name, having seen Gibbs and wanting him to know who she was talking with. “So, tell me why you’ve called.”
Using ASL, Gibbs silently signed that he would like to listen in on the conversation.
“Oh, well, I... just wanted to hear a friendly voice before I went back to my desk.”
Smiling and shaking her head to Gibbs request, Abby asked, “So, where are you now?”
“Just been out to buy more doughnuts. You wouldn’t believe how many those guys get through!”
Shaking his own head, Gibbs nonetheless stood quite close to her, but could only faintly hear the tone of a soft voice and was unable to differentiate individual words.
“Oh, I think I would.” The sugar high was not her preference, but Abby had easily compared the confection to caffeine. “So, now tell me why you’ve really called.”
“I was just wondering if you had a good time with Tamara last night.”
“Nice try, Tony. Yes, I had a cool evening. Now, tell me the truth.”
“The truth? Well, I, er... I had what you might call a ...good... evening as well.”
“You did? Spill the beans! But before you do, you should know I’ve already heard from James!”
“You have? Of course you have. I should have guessed one of them would have...”
“Tony! Stop deflecting and... Tell. Me. Now.” Abby demanded. There was a long pause before she heard a deeply inhaled breath followed by a rush of words.
“I went back on the dance floor.”
“C’mon, Tony, I already know you love dancing, so that’s not exactly news-worthy.” Abby was mentally visualising the photographs.
“It wasn’t with the others.”
Even if she had not already been informed by James, Abby was aware that as much as Tony loved to dance, he did not like to dance alone, so it was only natural to ask, “Who was it with?”
“Gibson.” The name was spoken softly and with obvious hesitation. “Jeffrey Gibson. He bought me a drink and we also... had a dance together.”
“That’s great! What’s he like? Are you seeing him again? Hey, wait a minute,” Abby paused and made direct eye contact with the man in question. “You said Gibson and I know a Gibson. I haven’t seen him around for a while, but if it’s who I think it is, he’s cool.”
Only clearly hearing Abby’s side of the conversation but able to guess that context of what was being said to her, Gibbs nodded his approval of her response and continued to observe and listen.
“You do? He is?” DiNozzo didn’t realize his relief had seeped into his tone. “That’s good to know.”
“So you are seeing him again?”
“Said he’d be at Spartac tomorrow, but...” DiNozzo paused. “I’m not sure what I should do...”
“If you’ve changed your mind, just tell him so.” Abby advised, smiling at Gibbs’ expression. “But if really like him and it’s just that you’re feeling nervous, then take things slow. Give yourself the chance to talk with the guy and get to know him a little better before you agree to ... dance.”
“Abs!” DiNozzo’s indignation was not totally feigned and was matched by Gibb’s raised eyebrows.
“Gotta go now, Tony.” Abby wanted to leave him thinking about it. “I’ll see you tomorrow. No need to pick me up, I’ll meet you there. Bye!”
~*~*~
Though situated in a bustling open plan office, DiNozzo had shut out the distractions and poured his concentration into looking through the files and, by late afternoon, had managed to get through several. Feeling pleased with the small list of leads he had discovered that, if pursued, might be enough to re-open two of the cases, he threw down his pen and raised his arms to stretch tired muscles. Sensing he was being observed, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Dan Peterson had returned and was gazing his way. Having the distinct impression that the man disliked him without knowing why, he ventured, “Hey, Danny, how’s it go today?”
“It feels like we’re being given the run-around and doing nothing more than chasing our tails.” Peterson grumbled, closing the gap to sit behind a nearby desk. “We’ll be out there doing the same thing tomorrow and through the weekend at this rate.”
DiNozzo had already overheard the captain say they could kiss goodbye to their weekend if they hadn’t come up with anything solid on their case by the end of Friday, so winced in sympathy. If it had been something major he would have understood the need to put in the hours, but it was a simple drug case they were working and pretty minor at that. According to a few others, if it had it not been for a dealer trying to peddle at the college campus the captain’s nephew stayed on, it was possible that the over-time would not have been authorised. Not knowing the captain well enough to know if that bore any truth, but now appreciating why Peterson appeared to be in a sour mood, DiNozzo was about to ask where Cohen was when a large brown bag was placed on his desk.
“Here you go, kid. Help yourself and stop saying that I never bring any in!”
“I know how much you like them,” DiNozzo groaned, not needing to look inside. “But don’t you ever buy anything other than Doughnuts? I mean, a pizza would make a nice change. One with extra sausage, cheese and pepperoni...”
“Hey, if you don’t want a doughnut...” Cohen slowly reached for the bag.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want one!” DiNozzo quickly snatched one before it was taken away. “I just said a pizza...”
“Would be nice. You said so, already.” Peterson interrupted, out of patience with the banter.
“What is it with you and pizza, Tony?” Cohen was enjoying the exchange of mild insults and so ignored his partner’s scowl. “Anyone would think you were Italian or something!”
“Oh, that’s funny, real funny. What clue made you realise I have Italian blood in my veins?”
“Well, you’re called DiNozzo and you like pizza. I put the two together and being a good detective, the best in the precinct, I came up with the conclusion that you’re probably Italian...”
“Knock it off!” Peterson snapped. “We need to get our reports updated if we have any hope of getting out of here on time!”
“If you learned to use a finger on both hands to type, you’d get it done quicker!”Cohen shot back, winked at a grinning Italian and then sat back to enjoy eating a doughnut.
Keeping his head down to avoid looking at Peterson until he could look less amused, DiNozzo was grateful for the sudden ringing of his cell phone. Accepting the call, he swung his chair around as he said, “You’re through to Anthony DiNozzo...”
“Tony...”
“Paul?”
“Yes. How are you?”
“I’m fine.” DiNozzo cautiously responded. He had been more than half expecting calls from his club buddies all day, but had hoped not to have anyone else within hearing range at the time. Trying to sound casual to listening ears, he said, “How are you?”
“You left without coming over to say goodbye last night. Are you sure that you’re okay?”
“I’m sure.” DiNozzo kept the reply short, hoping Paul would realise he was unable to talk freely.
“Do you have anything planned for tonight?”
“No.”
“Then it’s okay if I come to visit?”
“Sure.”
“I’ll be there by 7.30. Bye for now.”
“Bye.” DiNozzo twisted the chair back and hung up.
“Problem?” Cohen mumbled around the food he was chewing.
“No, not at all. Got a friend coming round to watch tonight’s game with me.” DiNozzo cheekily smiled as he added, “I bet he brings pizza!”
~*~*~
Stopping off on the way to the motel to pick up a few groceries in case he needed to put together a meal, DiNozzo was later getting back than usual. Quickly taking a shower and changing into sweats and a faded t-shirt, he had just enough time to fill a bag with worn clothes that the motel’s laundry service would take care of before the door was knocked. Leaving the bag leaning against the wall in the bathroom ready for dropping off the next morning, he went to the door to admit his visitor.
“Hi, Tony.”
“Paul,” DiNozzo warily smiled, aware he would be subjected to a question and answer session. Then again, if it was going to take place at all, he preferred it to be with Paul than any of the others. Opening the door wider, he invited, “C’mon in, make yourself comfortable.”
“I don’t know if you’ve had anything yet, but I’ve brought pizza.”
“That’s great, saves me from burning pans trying to cook something for us.” DiNozzo sniffed the aroma coming from the box with appreciation. “I’ll just get a couple of beers from the fridge.”
Noting the pile of books and magazines that were on a small table beside one of the easy chairs, Paul claimed the one next to it and sat down. Placing the box on the coffee table in front of the two chairs and opening it, he took a slice of pizza and began to eat.
Handing over an opened bottle of nicely chilled beer, DiNozzo sank into the chair nearest the books. Feeling edgy about the topic that would be raised, he helped himself to a slice took a large bite, hoping to delay it a while longer.
Having no such qualms, Paul asked, “Did you spend the night together?”
Almost choking mid-swallow, DiNozzo snapped, “No!”
“Defensive, much?” Paul smirked, amused by the reaction. “It was an innocent question.”
“Like hell, it was! Chrissakes, Paul, I knew I was going to get this, but couldn’t you have started with something different?” DiNozzo wheezed, before taking a swig of beer to help clear his throat.
“I wanted to get the biggy out of the way first.”
“Well, you certainly managed that!” DiNozzo coughed and then began to breathe a little easier.
“The two of you looked good together on the dance floor.”
DiNozzo would have preferred more coughing instead of the heat he could feel rising in his face.
“Took us all by surprise.” Paul casually commented. “Not that we weren’t surprised when you finally said yes to someone offering you a drink, but seeing you out on the dance floor...”
“I get the picture.” DiNozzo interrupted before Paul elaborated any further. “What of it?”
“Well, you can stop being so defensive to begin with.” Paul responded and looked him straight in the eye. “We haven’t known you very long, Tony, but I think we’ve all become good friends. That means we care about you. I care about you. You’re new to stuff like that and we don’t want to see you get hurt. Not if there’s a way that we can prevent it.”
“Okay.” DiNozzo replied, his colour still high. “I can accept that and... it’s appreciated.”
“Good. So, tell me. Did you spend time together after you left the club?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because neither of us asked or offered.” DiNozzo admitted. “Besides...”
“Besides what?”
“Before we left...” DiNozzo took a deep, calming breathe. “Before we left, he said he’d be back at the club tomorrow and I’d see him then.”
“Is that all? That you’d see him at Spartac?”
DiNozzo sighed. Partly wanting to keep it all to himself, he also knew that he really was too new to the scene to fully understand what was going on, or rather, what would be expected. Swallowing his pride, he hesitantly related what Gibson had said about spending time together more privately.
Listening without interruption, Paul took a few moments to think about it, then asked, “So, what are you planning to do?”
“I’ll go to the club...”
“And?”
“Maybe, spend some time with him...”
“Only maybe? What about the weekend?”
“No, I definitely want to spend some time with him, but the weekend...” DiNozzo sighed. “I don’t really know what I’m getting into, Paul. I don’t know what he’ll expect...”
“Want to talk it through with me?”
“Yes, if you’re sure you don’t mind, but first...” DiNozzo stood up. “We need another beer and can we change the subject for the few minutes it takes to drink it.”
Appreciating his friend’s need to lighten the atmosphere, Paul waited until he was again seated and they each had fresh bottles in hand and then gave a knowing smile.
“What?” DiNozzo suspiciously frowned.
“Oh, I’ve just thought of something that would make you smile.”
“Really?” DiNozzo sceptically raised his bottle to take another swig of beer.
His timing spot on, Paul shared the priceless news, “James spent last night with Zack!”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Extract; “If you’ve changed your mind, just tell him so... ...if it’s just that you’re feeling nervous, then take things slow. Give yourself the chance to talk with the guy and get to know him a little better before you agree to ... dance.”
Chapter End Notes:
Parts 1-3 have undergone slight revision with a some additional wording. I will try to get the original versions replaced with the revised versions when I get the time/opportunity, but until then they are only posted at my LJ site and my user name for that is kaz-el