Desire & Denial (Southern Boys Book 3) Read online

  “Yeah, about that.” Kendis looked him in the eye. “Were you flirting with me?”

  Chaz opened his eyes wide. “Hey, you started it with that line about bein’ on a porno set.” He laughed softly. “Okay, you got me. Yeah, I was flirtin’.” He didn’t break eye contact. “Did you mind?”

  Kendis chuckled. “No, I didn’t mind, not at all. In fact…” He bit his lip, and Chaz thought it a sexy look on him. Who am I kidding? This boy is sexy with a capital S.

  When nothing else was forthcoming, Chaz arched his eyebrows. “In fact…?” he prompted.

  Kendis let out another sweet sigh. “That was the first time I ever flirted with anyone.” He lowered his gaze. “Imagine that. Twenty years old, and I finally try my hand at flirting with a guy.” He took a sip of coffee.

  “Yeah, but you did it so well,” Chaz whispered.

  Kendis swallowed hard. “Says you. ‘You wanna go for a ride?’ ‘Ridden much?’ ‘Only ever ridden solo?’ Man, I didn’t know where to look.”

  Chaz burst out laughing. “Oh, I’m sorry. But I have a confession to make.” He made sure Kendis was looking him in the eye. “That was my first try at flirting too.”

  Kendis let out a low whistle. “Man, you’re a fast learner.” That led to another outburst of laughter. Chaz was fast coming to the conclusion that Kendis was good for him. I haven’t laughed this much in a long while.

  For a few minutes, conversation ceased while they enjoyed their cake and coffee. Chaz used the time to study Kendis surreptitiously. He was slightly bigger than Chaz, fuller in the face, with a neat mustache and barely-there beard. The features Chaz liked best were his eyes and lips. Lord, those lips… They looked like they’d be perfect for kissing, and Chaz was doing his best not to picture them around his dick. But fuck, his skin color… It had a warm russet look to it, and try as he might, all Chaz could think about was the contrast they would make, skin against skin.

  Kendis Sesay was fucking beautiful.

  “Do I have somethin’ on my face?” Kendis’s amused voice broke through.

  Oh Lord. Busted.

  Chaz cleared his throat. “I must’ve zoned out there. I was just wonderin’… where’s your brother Marcus these days? I haven’t seen him around.”

  Kendis’s expression tightened. “He moved back to Louisiana. He got a job there.” And judging by Kendis’s face, he was missing his brother something awful.

  “So you live here with your parents?”

  Kendis shook his head. “Just my momma. Daddy died when I was seven. Hit ‘n’ run driver. Momma brought us boys up on her own. Mind you, my Uncle Elroy kept an eye on us, helpin’ out where he could. He’s the one who found Marcus a job.” He gave a wry smile. “And a job is what brought me to the bike shop on Saturday. I was gonna ask Del if he needed another body around the place.”

  Shoot. Chaz felt awkward as hell, and that hopeful look in Kendis’s eyes sure wasn’t helping none.

  “The thing is…” He didn’t want to crush Kendis’s hopes, but he had to be honest. “There’s barely enough work for me, let alone someone else. Okay, you saw us on a no-show day. Trust me, it’s not been that much busier. Things might change when we get into spring, but right now?” He shrugged. “Who knows? The business might suddenly take off and we won’t be able to cope, but that’s a ways off.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much.” God, he sounded so low.

  Dammit. Chaz wanted to help him. “But it might be a good idea talkin’ to Del.”

  Kendis frowned. “But… you just said…”

  Chaz shook his head. “I’m not talkin’ ’bout workin’ at the bike shop. Del has a lot of connections, what with this business owners community he’s trying to set up. He talks to a lot of people. You never know. Somebody might have an opening.”

  “I’ll do anything.” Kendis sat up straight in his chair. “I’m not afraid of hard work. Lord knows, I’ve been searchin’ for a job for a while now. But either they’re not hiring, or I get one and then they lay me off after a month or so.”

  “That happen often?”

  Kendis huffed. “Often enough that I’m startin’ to worry I’m really doing something wrong. Unless they just don’t like the look of me. There’s always that.”

  Yeah, and there was probably a lot of truth in that last one. Some people were just plain racist, he couldn’t deny it. Hell, he grew up with enough of them. But Chaz also knew there were good folks out there.

  “Del’s a pretty good judge of character. And he doesn’t tolerate racists or homophobes. He’s bound to know of some businesses where your skin color wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “It’s clearly not a problem for you,” Kendis said softly.

  Chaz smiled. He desperately wanted to take Kendis’s hand, but that would be just plain dumb. So instead, he spoke from the heart. “I think you’re beautiful.”

  Kendis caught his breath, then slowly expelled it. “Man, what you can do with that tongue of yours.” His eyes shone. “You sure you’re only eighteen?”

  Chaz chuckled. “Jon says I act an’ speak way more mature than my age. I guess when you go through some shit, you grow up faster. And I don’t see the point in wastin’ time not saying what’s on my mind. Life’s too short for that.” He had to put a stop to this before he said way too much. “Tell you what. Why don’t you come by the bike shop tomorrow morning? Del’ll be there, and you two can have a talk.”

  “You think it’ll do any good?” That hopeful light was back, and Chaz was glad to see it.

  “You never know, right?” He finished his coffee, then peered at Kendis. “You got somewhere to be, or do you want another?” Chaz didn’t want to leave just yet.

  Kendis got to his feet. “Let me get these. I may not have a job, but I can afford to buy you a coffee.”

  Chaz beamed. “Black coffee, please.”

  Kendis’s eyes sparkled. “I know. You like it like you like your men.” He chuckled. “Love that movie.” He pushed back his chair and headed for the counter.

  Chaz got a good look at Kendis’s rear as he stood peering at the menu board. Holy hell, that was one fine looking ass right there. Then Kendis turned to glance at him, and Chaz averted his gaze. He did not want to get caught checking out that hot butt.

  This was the time for talking.

  Chaz wanted to know a whole lot more about Kendis, because he got the feeling they were going to be good friends. Chaz sure could use another one of those. So far, he only had Ellie, and she was worth her weight in gold. The thought made him smile.

  She’s gonna think I got me a boyfriend.

  Lord, what he wouldn’t give for that to be true. But despite his words to Kendis, he didn’t want to rush this. Don’t scare him off.

  Then he chuckled to himself. You just told him he was beautiful. If that don’t scare him off….

  Yeah. Chaz had a good state of hopeful going on right there.

  Chapter Six

  Wednesday Dec 13

  Kendis walked up to the door of Rainbow Racers and pushed it open. Behind the desk, Del and Jon were deep in conversation, looking at sheets spread out in front of them. Jon looked up as Kendis approached, and smiled.

  “Can’t keep away from the place, can ya?”

  Kendis chuckled. “It’s those cinnamon rolls. I came back for more.” He glanced at Del. “Actually, I was hoping to have a talk with Del, if he can spare the time.”

  Del blinked. “Sure. Want to step into the office?”

  Kendis nodded, then walked behind the desk. Jon peered through the window. “Want me to put some more coffee on? I finished the last bit in the pot half an hour ago.”

  “Thanks. That would be great.” Del stood aside and let Kendis enter. He closed the door behind them, and then gestured to the chair by the desk. “Take a seat. What can I do for you?”

  Now that he was there, Kendis’s courage fled. “Well… it’s like this…”

  Del gave him a kind smile. “Sit down. Take a breat
h. Then let it out. I don’t bite.” His eyes glittered. “Much.”

  The flash of good humor was enough to lighten Kendis’s anxiety. He sat, thinking how best to frame his thoughts. He’d had it all worked out before he stepped through the door, but one look at Del had wiped it all from his mind.

  “I talked with Chaz yesterday, and he thought it might be good if I told you what’s going on. He thought you might be able to help.”

  “Fire away.” Del leaned back in his chair behind the small desk.

  “I think I already told you I’m finding it difficult to find work, or when I do find it, hold onto it.”

  Del nodded. “I do recall that conversation. You said something about companies taking you on for a probationary period, then letting you go at the end of them.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  Del regarded him thoughtfully. “You got any idea why this keeps happening?”

  “You mean, apart from the obvious?” Kendis wasn’t stupid. People might not come out and say racist shit, but that didn’t mean they weren’t thinking it.

  The door opened, and Jon stuck his head around it. “Del, I gotta run into town. We’re all out of coffee.”

  Del bit his lip. “And you didn’t think to mention this yesterday when I did the grocery shopping?” He rolled his eyes. “Go ahead, but pick up something sweet to have with it. I’m sure Kendis here would love a cinnamon roll.” His tone held amusement.

  Jon chuckled. “Fine. I’ll stop by the bakery.” He met Kendis’s gaze, and his eyes sparkled. “At least we don’t have to compete with Chaz. More for us.” He shut the door.

  Del picked up a pen and tapped it against a notepad. “Just how many jobs have you applied for, and where? And which ones took you on?” Kendis reeled off the list and Del scribbled them down. When he was done, Del gave an appreciative nod. “This looks like you’re pulling out all the stops to find work. That’s good.”

  “I gotta work.” Kendis was getting desperate. “My momma is a housekeeper at the hospital. I need to be contributin’ something.”

  Del rubbed his beard. “Okay. I have a lot of contacts, and we can soon find out who’s hiring. But…”

  The pause made Kendis’s stomach clench. “But what?”

  Del tapped his pen against his chin. “If I’m going to help you, then I need you to agree to something.”

  “What? I’ll agree to anything.” Kendis just wanted a job.

  “Let me call up some of these employers.”

  He blinked. “Why?”

  “I’ll tell them I’m checking you out for a possible job. That way, I might be able to find out why they let you go. We could learn something important.” Del locked gazes with Kendis. “Are you up for that?”

  Kendis swallowed, then nodded. “Sure.” He stilled. “You’re… you’re not gonna do it now, are you? Because I think I’d feel a bit weird if you’re gonna be talking about me.”

  Del laughed. “You are going to go out there, while I make the calls.” He reached for his phone.

  That was all the signal Kendis needed to get out of there.

  He closed the office door behind him and wandered over to where the motorcycles sat in their splendor. One caught his eye immediately, and he went over to it. The Indian Roadmaster was a gorgeous bike, with burgundy paintwork and a mass of gleaming chrome. It was huge, and plainly built for two. It looked like it’d provide a comfortable ride, too.

  Kendis couldn’t resist. Carefully, he climbed onto it, resting his hands on the padded handlebars. He felt so small, like a kid behind the wheel of a car. I wonder how it feels to be out on the open road on this baby. Maybe he should take Chaz up on his offer, and go for a ride. The thought made him smile.

  I don’t think that was the kind of ride he had in mind.

  And there went those shivers again, the ones he’d been experiencing a lot of, lately. They weren’t unpleasant, quite the opposite, and they sent a thrill of anticipation through him. Not for the first time, he ached to know what it felt like to have a guy’s hands on his body, to be kissed like the guy couldn’t get enough of him…

  Kendis had known he was gay from the age of fifteen, not that he’d done anything about it, apart from crushing on cute guys from afar. But moving to LaFollette added a whole new dimension. High school had been… uncomfortable. He’d done his best not to attract attention in class, and that meant making sure no one caught him staring, or even glancing in one direction for too long. No, that time in his life had been strictly about survival. Not that there had been anyone remotely appealing to catch his attention in the first place.

  Kendis wished he’d known Chaz in high school. It had been a lonely time, and there’d been so many occasions when he’d felt as if there was an invisible barrier around him, extending four or five feet from his body, because nobody ventured closer than that. He couldn’t even recall seeing Chaz, but then again, he’d have been two years behind Kendis. And if someone as good looking as Chaz had come into Kendis’s sights, he’d have noticed.

  He was sure noticing Chaz now.

  Kendis liked everything about the way Chaz looked, from his warm brown eyes with those gorgeous long lashes, to his unruly mop of curls that seemed always to be on the verge of tumbling down over his eyes, but never quite made it. His full, pink bottom lip held the promise of many kisses to come, and Kendis sure as hell hoped that was in his future.

  He was flirting with me. That’s gotta mean something, right?

  God, he hoped so. It felt like he was doing a lot of hoping these days.

  “Trying it out for size?”

  Kendis almost jumped out of his skin. He jerked his head toward the office. Del was standing there, his thumbs ticked under his belt, and grinning.

  Kendis got off the bike as carefully as he’d got on it. “Lord, don’t sneak up on a guy like that.”

  “Who was sneaking? I’ve been standing here for two minutes. I don’t know where your mind was, but it sure wasn’t here.” Del nodded toward the motorcycle. “You ever ridden one of these?”

  Kendis shook his head. “Chaz did ask if I wanted to take a …take one for a spin with him someday.”

  “You should definitely do that. Only, wait till the weather is better?” Del inclined his head toward the office. “Why don’t you come on in, and I’ll tell you what I’ve learned.”

  Kendis stared at him. “Already? That was fast.”

  Del bit his lip. “I’ve been on the phone for a half hour.” His eyes twinkled. “That must’ve been some place you zoned out to.”

  Kendis walked quickly across the showroom and followed Del into the office. He took his chair and sat, his heart pounding. What did they say to him?

  Del cleared his throat. “Okay, you were right about some of these people. I know a bigot when I hear one.”

  Relief flooded through him. I didn’t imagine it. Then Del’s words sank in. “Only some of them?”

  Del nodded slowly. He leaned against the wall, his gaze locked on Kendis. “You were trying really hard to appear confident, weren’t you? To show your boss how competent you were?”

  Kendis nodded, his heart sinking. “Was I wrong to do that?”

  “No, but… it sounds like you tried too hard, and what happened was, you came across as arrogant, like you knew it all. I do understand that. The more failures you met, the more desperate you became and the harder you tried to succeed. I’m guessing you said yes to everything they asked of you, even when it was stuff you didn’t know how to do. And when they offered help, you said, ‘No, it’s fine, I can do this.’”

  Kendis gaped at him. “Oh my God. How do you know all this?” Because it was like Del had been there and seen it all take place.

  Del smiled. “I’ve had a few businesses over the years. You get to meet all kinds of people. And yeah, I’ve even met people like you.” He gazed at Kendis frankly. “Some of your co-workers were assholes, weren’t they?” When Kendis nodded numbly, Del sighed. “By the sound of i
t, some of the hirers were okay with you, but management wasn’t keen.”

  “So now what do I do? I don’t want people thinking I’m arrogant, because that makes me sound like an asshole, an’ I’m really not.” Kendis didn’t want Del thinking of him like that.

  Del’s eyes were warm. “You’re a good guy, Kendis. And I’m gonna help you find a job you can stick with.”

  He swallowed hard. “Thank you, Del. And thank you for goin’ to all this trouble.”

  Del waved his hand. “What’s half an hour on the phone? It got us somewhere, didn’t it?” He grinned. “And it’s not like I was rushed off my feet with work.” Del snickered.

  The door opened, and Jon burst in, his eyes wide. “That fucking piece of crap has done it to me for the last time. She’s going to the scrap heap, as soon as I can get a truck to tow her sorry ass there.”

  Del regarded him calmly. “Wanna back that up and tell me exactly which piece of crap you’re referring to?”

  “My fucking truck. She wouldn’t start. I had to take yours.”

  Kendis looked at Jon with interest. “Can I take a look at it?”

  “Sure, if you’ve got some time you wanna waste.” Jon snorted. “Heap o’ junk.”

  Kendis got up from his chair and walked past Jon toward the door. He went over to the truck and popped the hood, peering under it.

  Jon appeared at his side. “Should’ve gotten rid of her long ago.”

  Kendis chuckled. “Why so sure it’s a she?”

  Jon guffawed. “The amount of trouble she causes me, she’s got to be female.”

  “You don’t like women?” He glanced up at Jon with a smile.

  “Sure, some of ’em are okay, as long as they stay outta my way.”

  Kendis shook his head and went pack to scanning the truck’s innards. He caught sight of something and smiled. “Got it.”

  “What? What’s wrong with it?”

  He eased his hands into the mess of cables, and held up the cause of the trouble. “Here. Something’s nibbled through the ignition cable. Well, bitten right through it, more like.”