Wisdom's Allegiance Read online

  He laughed. He admired the way she bounced back. He stood up as she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

  “That would be nice,” he said. “I just want you to know I don’t mind working during the holidays. Most people take that time off, so I get overtime. I need the money.”

  “Don’t we all?” she said dryly. “Just make sure you’re living and not just working yourself into an early grave with nothing to show for it.”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  She smirked. “Hey, even I went on a date last week. It didn’t work out, but it was something, at least.”

  “Do I know the guy?”

  “Actually it was a girl this time. And no, you don’t.”

  “Huh,” he said. “Didn’t know you were bi.”

  She shrugged. “I’m mostly attracted to men, but Beau kinda ruined that half of the species for me for a while. The asshole.”

  It was hard to reconcile the confident, proud woman in front of him with the shattered woman of a year ago or the pale, shaky woman from minutes earlier. He wished he had half her strength.

  Dexter looked at the clock and winced. He quickly emptied the trash and replaced the bag before grabbing his cart. “I’m sorry, I gotta get going. Lots of buildings on my route tonight.”

  “I understand. Listen, if being with my family makes you uncomfortable, we should get together before I leave, okay? I really want to have a holiday dinner with you.”

  Warmth flooded him inside and out. “I would love that. Thank you.”

  She shook her head. “Thank you, Dex.”

  He met her eyes, knowing what she was thanking him for. “You’re welcome.”

  TALON GLANCED at his phone, reading what had to be the hundredth text that night. Orion was shamelessly stalking Dexter instead of grading papers and sending Talon live updates as he did. He even captured a few videos of Dexter comforting a heartbroken college student, fixing a printer, and keeping another student from having a panic attack over his missing phone.

  Yet it was the last text that truly shook the well-placed shields around his heart. Orion had to be his elf owl to eavesdrop on this conversation, and he typed it verbatim in the text. By reading between the lines he suspected the woman had been in an abusive relationship and perhaps Dexter had a hand in helping her out of it. That knowledge certainly made Talon take a closer look. In just one night, all those layers of Dexter were exposed, and Talon had to admit he was intrigued. He wasn’t yet convinced Dexter was their permanent third—it was far too early to tell—but he was certainly someone to take a chance on. The way he deftly handled those varying situations spoke of a quick mind and strength of character. He cared and he was kind.

  His phone rang. Orion.

  “What now?”

  “I want to kiss and hug him,” Orion said.

  Talon sighed. “Patience.”

  Orion let out a whine identical to the one his owl made. “I want my cuddle bear!”

  “Orion,” Talon said, tone commanding.

  He huffed, then muttered in Spanish. Talon could only imagine what he said, though he was certain it wasn’t flattering.

  “Fine,” Orion said. “At least tell me you’re a little bit interested. Even a teensy-weensy bit?”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  “Yes!”

  Talon could well imagine Orion pumping a fist in the air.

  “He has a kind heart,” Talon said. “I can identify bullshit and fakery from a mile away, and he’s the genuine article. He cares. He’s also not as soft as I first thought.”

  “Someone hurt him.”

  “I suspect many someones. He’s guarded, Orion. We need to go slow and steady.”

  “He needs us. He shouldn’t be alone anymore. He’s hurting.”

  Talon smiled faintly. “You have such a soft heart.”

  “Thank you.”

  Talon smirked. “Okay, my little elf. What do you want me to do?”

  “What you do best. Be honest. I don’t think subtlety is going to work with him.”

  “Neither do I. He’s going to need us to hold a sign in front his eyes saying we want to fuck him.”

  Orion choked. “Well, I want more than that. We all deserve more than that. Besides, your scary bluntness might make him rabbit. Maybe ease it down a bit?”

  Talon paused before answering. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  DEXTER MANAGED to finish up the extra buildings on his route in record time since he didn’t have any more interruptions. It was too late—or too early—for anyone to be functional on campus. He moved over to the building where he’d met Talon and Orion the night before. He hoped to God those men weren’t in the office.

  Talon and Orion. Odd names. Pretty but odd.

  Then again, who was he to speak? Dexter? Seemed his parents decided to take a disliking to him the moment he was out of the womb.

  Shaking his head, Dexter began on the first floor. He emptied offices and labs of their trash before heading to the bathroom. As he stepped inside, there was one occupant. He was about to turn around and wait outside, but upon a second look, he realized the man was Talon. He was tall, maybe a little over six feet, if Dexter were to guess, and his lanky form was garbed in a conservative suit of brown and white. He looked nice for so late at night.

  Even as Talon zipped up his pants and flushed the urinal, Dexter came back to himself and hurried outside. He swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the floor, waiting, hoping Talon would just walk out and pass him by. Every other attractive man did, so why wouldn’t he?

  The spray of water and the hand dryer sounded before Talon walked out, straightening his suit jacket. He glanced over at Dexter and stopped short, eyes sharp and assessing. Dexter only managed one peek before staring resolutely at the floor.

  “Pardon me,” Talon said as he approached, holding out his hand. “We never introduced ourselves, and if you’re going to be cleaning my office for the time being, I’d feel more comfortable knowing your name. I’m Talon.”

  Dexter stared at the offered hand. He tried to stealthily wipe his damp palm against his leg before gripping it. Unfortunately he stumbled a few times over his own name and flushed, sweat breaking out all over his body.

  “Dexter,” he finally managed. “I’m Dexter.” Then he realized Talon could have read the name on his name badge. He didn’t know whether to feel stupid or confused.

  “Nice to meet you, Dexter. Could you do me a favor? Could you look at my face while we talk?”

  Dexter cleared his throat, and what little pride he had forced him to look up. He couldn’t meet Talon’s eyes, so he stared at his nose.

  “Thank you.” Talon kept a firm hold on his hand. “Painfully shy, aren’t you?”

  “Um. Er. Um.”

  Talon smirked in apparent amusement. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He finally let go of Dexter’s hand. “Listen, you remember the energetic man from the other night? His name is Orion, and he’s my boyfriend.”

  “Oh.” The sudden image of the two of them naked and rolling around on a bed flashed through Dexter’s mind. He bit his tongue, the pain shattering any fantasy and killing the erection before it began.

  “Well,” Talon continued, “Orion wants to be your friend.”

  Dexter blinked. “Um, what?”

  “He’s taken a liking to you and has decided to become your friend. Since I often give him whatever he wants, I’ve decided to become your friend as well.”

  “Well, I—” What could he say to that?

  In a flash Talon had Dexter’s phone out of his shirt pocket and in his hands. Dexter gasped, and instinct had him attempting to grab it back.

  “Easy there,” Talon said, chuckling as he danced out of reach. “I’m not stealing it.”

  “Could you, hey, stop that. What—?”

  “Relax. I’m simply giving you my and Orion’s phone numbers.” Then he called his own phone with Dexter’s. “And now I have yours. So will Orion when I text it to him. Makes thing
s a whole lot simpler, don’t you think?”

  Talon handed back the phone. Dexter took it with stiff fingers, his mouth open and slack.

  Talon smirked again. “As I said, we’ve decided to be your friends. We’re good men. No need to look so afraid.”

  He turned and took two steps before spinning around. “Oh, and for the benefit of full disclosure, we want to have sex with you in the near future.” His eyes seemed to glow with a golden fire. “Consider this a two-for-one. You get friends and lovers.”

  After spinning on his heel, Talon strutted off, all confidence and arrogance. For a long, frozen moment, Dexter simply stood there, still holding his phone, his jaw still touching the floor. When he finally managed to shake himself loose of the shock, he stared at his phone, feeling like it had betrayed him.

  Had that really just happened?

  With shaky fingers, Dexter went to his contact list and found two new names: Talon Horn and Orion Matias. He could delete them. No one said he had to keep the numbers or play by whatever game Talon and Orion had planned for him. But hope, that tiny bright thing, nestled in his breast at the thought of someone choosing him out of a crowd.

  Shaking his head, he stuffed the phone in his pocket and got to work on the bathroom. As he scrubbed and wiped, he couldn’t shake the hope. For the first time in his life, someone wanted him. Two someones. They noticed him, singled him out. He would be a fool to give that up. But what if it was all a trick? Some cruel joke? Was he really going to let himself be set up to have his heart crushed?

  Again?

  He dropped his forehead on the counter and focused on breathing. What was he going to do?

  THE FIRST texts came soon after that.

  Hi Dexter! It was a delight to meet you the other night. Sorry if Talon scared you with his bluntness. He really needs to work on his delivery.

  Dexter could just hear the bouncy tone and see Orion’s enigmatic smile.

  I hope you will forgive him and give us a chance. We would really like to be your friends.

  Just from those first two texts, Dexter felt his heart soften and his panic ease. The sweetness of Orion’s intent seemed to seep out of the phone. Was this real? Not a joke or trick but real?

  Just before Dexter ended his shift, he received a third one: Did you know your name is Latin for dexterous or adroit? That’s a good, strong name to have!

  Dexter snorted. No, he’d never known what his name meant. It hadn’t seemed important.

  Mine is Greek for son of fire. My mother intentionally named me after the constellation in the sky. Two minutes later: You can guess what Talon’s name means.

  That one was sent with a winky-face emoji.

  Dexter never responded, not that whole night. Every time he tried, he’d wuss out and put his phone away. He didn’t receive any texts during the day on Sunday, and Dexter figured Orion was sleeping since he stayed up late Saturday night. Talon never texted, though Dexter wasn’t surprised. He seemed far too reserved for the silliness Orion kept sending.

  Ever get a song stuck in your head? Bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee… there, it’s stuck in your head now, isn’t it? Let’s suffer together.

  Dexter laughed outright at that and hummed the song for his entire shift Sunday night.

  But by the time he pulled into his driveway, his car working like a champ, probably trying to lull him into a false sense of security, he had to sit there for a long moment, feeling like he was on a precipice. He could cautiously back away as he’d done for his entire life or risk leaping off and possibly flying.

  He pulled out his phone and scrolled up, considering the dozen or so texts. He looked at Beatrice’s house, and coming to a decision, he walked to her place. He needed a second opinion. He was so completely out of his depth.

  He didn’t knock since she’d demanded he simply let himself in, like a second home, and went inside. It was ten thirty in the morning and the TV was on, tuned to Vikings. Beatrice was in the kitchen, humming to herself and frying something on the stove.

  When he stepped to the kitchen entrance, she looked up and smiled brightly.

  “Morning, sunshine. You’re just in time for my world-famous omelet. Grab a seat.”

  Saying nothing, he sat. After a moment he took off his gloves and jacket and set his phone on the kitchen table.

  “Beatrice… something odd happened.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I don’t….” He shook his head. “I really don’t know what happened or why, but Saturday night, I was told by a guy named Talon that not only did he and his boyfriend want to be my friends, they wanted to….”

  “To?” she prompted when he stopped.

  Heat rose to his face, and he laid his head on his folded arms. “They wanted to have sex with me.”

  For a moment only the sound of eggs sizzling in the frying pan and the battle roars of Vikings could be heard.

  “Let me get this straight,” Beatrice said. “You have two hot men wanting to be your friend and jump your bones, and you sound like you’ve been told by a doctor that you have cancer? What am I missing?”

  “How do you know they’re hot?” he asked, head still resting on his arms.

  “All men are hot,” she said as if he should know that. “In their own way, every man is a fine piece of ass. Same goes with women too.”

  Dexter shook his head. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Oh, I highly doubt that. And I bet they’d be willing to help you with anything you don’t know.”

  Sound next to his face had him straightening. Beatrice shoved a plate with an omelet, two slices of turkey bacon, and half a grapefruit in front of him. She then placed a glass of orange juice next to the plate before sitting with her own brunch.

  “Thank you,” he said softly.

  “Dig in.”

  They ate in silence. Despite his twisted stomach, he really was hungry, and Beatrice was a superb chef. When their plates were empty, he slid his phone to her. Looking puzzled, she scrolled to the top of the text chain and read. Soon she was giggling and grinning like a loon, eyes bright and hopeful.

  He wondered why she didn’t understand his bafflement.

  “What game are they playing?” he asked.

  “The dating game. This little flirt is wooing you.”

  Dexter gaped. “Guys like them don’t go for guys like me.”

  “Apparently they do and are.”

  “Why?”

  “Why not?” she asked with a sly grin. “Go get ’em, stud.”

  Dexter grimaced and tugged at his hair. “You are not helping.”

  “Of course I am,” she scoffed and slid his phone back. “I’m not indulging in your obvious lack of self-worth. Two men want to make you their sex toy. Two. My pride overfloweth.”

  “I can’t do this,” Dexter insisted. “I don’t know what to do!”

  Before he could have a panic attack, Beatrice gripped his hand and stared hard into his eyes. “You are going to take a breath and text Orion back. You are going to see where this is going. You have a good bullshit meter, Dexter. You’ll know if they’re cruel or kind.”

  ORION POUTED as he lay in bed beside Talon. He stared at his phone on the bedside table and willed it to signal a new text. How long could he wait? How long could he hold his desires in? How could he not feel a little rejected when Dexter never answered? He knew Talon was right that they had to stay away and let Dexter decide in his own time, but it was so hard! It was difficult to stay optimistic and keep his texts cheerful when he felt hope flagging.

  “You think too loudly,” Talon said.

  Orion pouted harder. “Cállate.”

  Talon snorted and rolled over to poke his back. “Give him time, little elf. As you said yourself, he’s been hurt before. I might have been too blunt to start with, but he needed to get the point.”

  Orion rolled over to face him. “What if he doesn’t want us?”

  Talon rolled his eyes. “I’ve smelled
his desire twice now. He wants us. He simply needs to overcome his obvious self-hatred.”

  “I don’t think it’s hate,” Orion said. “It’s more about his self-worth. He probably thinks he’s fat, and society is cruel to those who aren’t anorexic models.”

  “Hmmm,” Talon said. “It’s interesting when you think about history and the fact that bigger people were considered attractive because it meant they were wealthy, prosperous, and had plenty of leisure time.”

  “Proof that society doesn’t know what the hell it’s doing half the time. I don’t want to cuddle bones. Give me meat!”

  Talon snorted. “Well, you have to acknowledge that he is rather—”

  “No!” Orion sat up so fast, Talon jerked back in surprise. “Don’t you say it! Él es hermoso y amable and squishy, and I want to cuddle with him. I want him just the way he is, and you won’t say anything negative about him. Ever. Entiendes?”

  Orion was rarely aggressive, and Talon blinked in obvious shock at his fierce expression. He only used Spanish when he was passionate about something or with his family. Orion’s elf owl screeched and puffed out his chest, even knowing Talon’s great horned owl could rip him to shreds.

  “I wasn’t going to say fat,” Talon said softly. “I was going to say large, and that it might take time for him to see himself as we do. I like his kind eyes and how he cared for you. I told you I’m intrigued by him, and that was truth. I want to know him as well.”

  Orion flopped back to the bed and stared at the ceiling, arms crossed over his chest.

  Talon sighed. “Maybe I should text him? He might—”

  Orion’s phone signaled an incoming text.

  Both stilled. Then Orion scrambled for his phone, and Talon pressed up beside him, reading over his shoulder.

  It wasn’t anything earth-shattering. Simply Hi with a smiley-face emoji. Talon might have scoffed, but to Orion, it was a declaration of love. He pressed the phone to his chest and squealed. Dexter answered. He answered! His cuddle bear was now closer to being theirs than he was a mere minute ago.