Last week in No Way Out, as you'll recall, Shy closed the door on Wyatt, but then relented, and even agreed to meet Wyatt somewhere the next day. What does that portend? See what happens in this week's episode, and then see what the other Wednesday Briefers are up to!
Why did Wyatt feel as if he’d just gained a major concession
of some sort? As though the words came with a price? But that was silly, wasn’t
it? He pushed the thought aside, focused on Shy’s question instead.
Where to meet? He hadn’t honestly thought that far ahead.
He’d blurted out the words as a reaction to Shy’s attempt to push him away,
which he didn’t understand. But he wanted to understand. Very badly. There was
a story there, one he wished to learn. He already suspected the answer involved
Randy. His dislike for the pompous older man was only growing stronger.
“Where’s good for you?” Maybe if he let Shy choose the
venue, he’d feel more comfortable about it.
He watched Shy closely as he considered his answer. He
seemed calm but the rapid rise and fall of his chest belied his outward
demeanor, as if he kept a tight rein on himself.
What in God’s name was he so afraid of? And why did he keep
peering behind Wyatt, as if he expected the devil himself to appear at any
moment.
Maybe he did.
Just as Wyatt was beginning to think Shy had no intention of
making a reply, he ran his tongue over his lips, took a deep breath, and
murmured, “Shop For Less. Ten o’clock.”
A grocery store? Confusion, tempered by disappointment,
cascaded through Wyatt. Not exactly what he’d had in mind. Certainly not the
place for intimate conversation of the getting-to-know-you variety. He looked
into Shy’s eyes, opening his mouth to protest, but something in those big blue eyes
stopped him cold and without thinking, he repeated Shy’s words, adding, “I’ll
be there.”
The next moment he was staring at the door once more. He
could take a hint.
Well, now that he’d gotten his way he could.
No sense in pushing his luck. As spooked as Shy seemed, he
didn’t think it would take much to push him over the edge. As he turned away
from the house, a small smile of satisfaction crept over his lips. He would
have fist pumped in triumph but both hands were full. So much for his offer of
ice cream. He could see Shy wanted it. So why didn’t he take one?
“The game is afoot!” he announced in his best imitation of
the inestimable Sherlock Holmes. Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough to suit
Wyatt.
* * * *
Shy peeked through the front curtains until he saw Wyatt’s
retreating figure disappear into the house across the street. Then he counted
to ten quickly and hurried to remove any and all trace of the ice cream from
the front step. Once he’d scrubbed it to his satisfaction, he hurried back
inside and released a long breath of relief.
Okay, back to reality. What did he just agree to, and why?
Did he really say he’d meet Wyatt tomorrow morning at the grocery store? What
had he been thinking?
He hadn’t, that was the problem. At least not with his mind.
He hadn’t thought with his dick in so long, it had taken him by surprise. Not
since those long ago days when he’d been young and innocent, and he thought
Randy Grant was the answer to everything.
A violent tremor crashed through his body. He reached out,
clutched the arm of a wingback chair for support. He forced himself to breathe
through the panic, until he felt secure enough to stand on his own.
What was done was done. He could hardly undo it—and he
wasn’t sure he really wanted to. The most important thing was to make sure
Randy never found out. He had to put on the most convincing act ever. The best
way to do that would be to remove thoughts of Wyatt from his mind, focus on the
house, and his chores.
Tomorrow had to remain his dirty little secret.
* * * *
Shy’s life was a regulated one. Randy had written a schedule
for him that Shy copied onto the dry erase board that hung in the kitchen.
Every day had been assigned both general chores and specific ones. On Thursdays,
Shy did the shopping. The dietician emailed Randy the menus for the following
week the night before. Then Randy made up the actual list and printed it out. Shy
was forbidden to deviate from it even one iota. No spontaneous purchases,
nothing special for himself. He had to account for every penny spent. Randy
scrutinized each receipt with an eagle eye. Even though he made good money, he
was as tightfisted as they came, especially when it came to Shy.
The car that he allowed Shylor to drive was second hand, an
old Chevy compact, over fifteen years old. Nothing much to look at, but it was
dependable, and it allowed Shy the freedom to run his errands. God forbid Randy
allow him to use his car—that would never happen.
Shy could never park
in the driveway, but was relegated to the back of the house, where the car
couldn’t be seen from the street. Shy didn’t care. It was a mode of
transportation, nothing more.
But today it was his ticket to paradise.
As he served breakfast, Shy was careful to maintain his
carefully cultivated mask. He paid close attention to Randy’s instructions,
along with the list. Nothing he’d not heard before. After five years, it was
the same old litany. But he pretended to hang on his every word.
Randy took another sip of coffee and grunted his
satisfaction. Not that he’d think to praise Shy for it, or anything else. To
Shy’s dismay, he seemed in no hurry to leave. Why today?
But leave he did, at last, with last minute instructions to
pick up his dry cleaning for some affair tomorrow night.
Once he’d gone, Shy checked his reflection in the mirror,
retied his hair with a slender red ribbon and stared into his own eyes.
Was he really going to do this?
to be continued
Now join my fellow flashers in their merry revels:
a planned secret rendezvous in a grocery store - love it.
ReplyDeleteSo much anticipation with this story. It is moving so slowly with the 1k limits. We need to see Shy's interactions with Wyatt. Wyatt needs to get the truth of the situation, they need to get Shy out, they need to deal with Randy, they need a HEA. Soooo much left! Can't wait. :)
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, Cia, but I'm trying to do this carefully and not rush anything, or have it be too easy for them, you know? Cause it can't be, just by the nature of the situation. There's so much Wyatt has no understanding of, and as Michelle and I discussed, once Shy leaves Randy's "care", he'll lose the structure of his life too. So much to consider and deal with!
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