Evenfall

Hook Up

Five months ago

They started texting back and forth a bit. Theo was always careful to delete everything, and he never saved Abel's number on his phone; instead, he memorized it. That way, if (when) Ken looked through his phone, he wouldn't see that Theo was hanging out with someone outside their organization. If it was someone completely random, it might not be a problem. But Abel was mildly affiliated and thus a threat since he wasn't a part of Ken's inner circle—the only ones supposed to have a backstage pass to Theo's ass.

He kept a video, though, because he could not bring himself to delete it. One of the other workers at the bar filmed it, whooping and hollering behind the phone as Abel stood behind the bar and juggled a few cordial bottles while mixing a drink. He did it effortlessly, smoothly transitioning between pouring syrups, tossing bottles in the air, shaking up cocktails, and garnishing the final product with a flourish.

Just watching his strong, dexterous hands was enough to make heat flare in Theo's face. He was in a fitted button-down with the sleeves rolled back to reveal his tattooed forearms. And that goddamn snake curled up from beneath his collar on his neck. And his shoulders looked broad, and his eyes sparkled with confidence and delight as he successfully maneuvered the bottles.

When Abel first sent it, Theo locked himself in the bathroom and jerked off desperately, not a single thought in his head, just watching the video on loop.

He saved it even though he knew he should not have.

Ken did not notice anything odd about his behavior. The only thing that came up over the next couple of days was news of Theo going to the gym later in the day. He'd been going in the afternoon instead of the morning to have an excuse to scope out Abel's bar. One of the wives must have mentioned it to their husband, who reported straight to Ken like some gossipy country club bitch. Just because they put their cocks in Theo, they all thought it was somehow their business where he was and what he did twenty-four-seven. If he changed his routine, they immediately tattled to Ken about it.

When he asked Theo about the switch, Theo was able to truthfully say, "I hate those bitches who go in the morning, so I started going later."

"Well, I need you available in the evenings, so switch back to going in the mornings," Ken ordered, "I don't care if you don't like them."

Theo just shrugged because it did not really matter to him. He did not need to stalk Abel's bar anymore because he had his number. And got sexy videos of him mixing drinks like he was showing off to get into someone's pants. Theo hoped he was, at least.

Hoping to return the favor, he set up his phone against a piece of equipment and took a little video of himself working out. The next day, Abel showed up at the gym wearing loose shorts and a shirt with the sides cut out so that Theo could see all the tattoos on his torso. Theo blushed and glanced around the gym, glad he had decided to come a little later, though still in the morning, to avoid the wives because he had been telling the truth when he said he disliked them. There was no one to tattle on him for having an un-sanctioned gym buddy.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in amazement as Abel sat on the bench beside him and put his massive water bottle down between his feet.

"I liked that video you sent me," Abel winked. "Thought I'd come and see the show in person."

And so they fell into a routine of working out together every other day around lunchtime. Abel slept in since he was up so late for work, and it became the first thing he woke up to do. Theo was up late, too, but he'd always been a morning person whether he got ten or two hours of sleep. Abel, he learned from all his grousing, even though it was already eleven o'clock, was not a morning person.