Evan heads to Partners to see if he can release some... steam.... and runs into new friends Roy and Dustin, who introduce him to their friends, Marshall and Lee (yep, the very same!). See what's going on in this week's chapter of Super Trooper. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what's up with them. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
Super Trooper #4 (1.4)
Although Partners was known to be a gay bar, and was very
popular with gay men for miles around, its clientele were not restricted to
them by any means. It wasn’t unusual to find couples and/or singles of all
orientations there. The bar was a haven of open-mindedness and liberality in an
area that wasn’t always known for either. Which didn’t mean it didn’t draw its
fair share of jerks, but the owners of Partners knew how to deal with them
before things got too out of hand, employing bouncers who weren’t afraid to get
their message across to any troublemakers. Texas was an open-carry state, but
any individual wishing to do so had to also have a license, as did those who
wanted to conceal-carry. On the whole, guns were a common sight. Evan wore his,
even off-duty, but he preferred to conceal it. He didn’t want any trouble when
he went out, but he wasn’t one to shy away from it either.
Nodding to one of the bouncers he passed, Evan scanned the
room twice before spotting Roy heading in the direction of the bar. He quickly
caught up with him there. Roy Landry was almost as tall as Evan, but stockier,
a veritable grizzly bear of a man that no one in their right mind would fuck
with or think of disobeying. Anyone who knew him realized he was a generous man
who would give you the shirt off his back without hesitation. He looked up at
Evan’s approach and flashed him a warm smile.
“Hey Evan, good to see you.” He glanced around, as if checking
out whether the trooper was alone or not. “I was just about to grab some beers.
What can I get for you?”
“Whatever you’re having’s fine,” Evan said. “I’ll catch the
next round.”
“Sounds good.” Roy gave the bartender the order. He brought
out three long necks. Roy handed one to Evan and grabbed the other two. “C’mon,
we’re sitting right over there.” He nodded toward a table about halfway across
the room. Evan saw Roy’s significant other sitting there, along with two men he
didn’t recognize.
Evan followed Roy back to the table.
“Hi Evan!” Dustin greeted him. “Pull up a chair!”
Roy set the beers onto the table and took a seat beside
Dustin. The other two men, who sat across from them, already had beers. One man
was considerably older than the other, but it was obvious they were together,
judging by their body language. And matching wedding rings. Evan was quick to
pick up on things like that. It kind of came with the territory. He wasn’t one
to judge, he just liked to know his environment—it made for more informed
decisions, especially in times of crisis.
The older man held his hand across the table. “Nice to meet
you, Evan,” he said. “I’m Lee. And that’s Marshall.”
“Nice to meet you too,” Evan said, taking his hand in a firm
shake, which he repeated with Marshall. He turned to Roy. “Didn’t mean to
intrude or anything, Roy.”
“You’re not,” the sheriff assured him. “Just came out for a
few beers, maybe a little dancing then heading home. What about you? You
meeting someone?”
“No, just felt like having a beer myself,” Evan said, not
willing to admit he had anything else on his mind. Such as hooking up.
“Evan here’s a State Trooper,” Dustin told the others with a
grin. “Gotta be careful with these two”—he indicated Roy and Evan with a wave
of one hand— “If we aren’t careful, they’ll get to talking shop until the cows
come home.”
Roy rolled his eyes, but he didn’t bother denying the
accusation and neither did Evan. When the two lawmen got together, they did
tend to swap war stories. Roy had been a private investigator before he became
sheriff and had some good tales to tell. “You love it and you know it.” Roy
chuckled.
“Yeah, but I bet Marshall and Lee are tired of hearing the
same stories they’ve probably heard a million times,” Dustin persisted, giving
the couple a knowing wink.
“Don’t tar me with that brush, boy,” Lee interjected. He
slid his arm around Marshall’s shoulders comfortably. “If I get tired of hearing something, I know
how to speak up for myself. ‘Sides, Roy’s stories are always interesting. I’m
willing to bet Evan’s are too.”
Marshall’s snicker was obviously intended for Dustin. Evan
noticed the two young men seemed close in age. They were probably good friends.
Both seemed to go for older men. Not that there was anything wrong with that.
He’d dated an older man or two in his time. But that had been a while back.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Evan said. “But I do like what
I do. Never wanted to do anything else. I take it you aren’t in law
enforcement?” He threw the question at both men.
“Roy’s got that covered,” Marshall said. “Burnham doesn’t
need but one sheriff and he’s it.”
“Ah, so you all come from Burnham.” Evan lifted his glass
and took a good drink.
“Indeed,” Lee said. “We have our own computer business
there. Burnham’s a nice place but it’s a little short on night life. It’s nice
to get out to Tucker Falls now and then.”
“I imagine so.” Evan nodded.
Just then the music changed to something a little livelier
than had been playing. Evan noticed Marshall tapping his boot to the beat and
giving his partner hopeful glances. When he didn’t respond immediately, the
younger man said, “You’re not really going to make me bed, are you?”
Lee laughed and pushed back his chair. “Nope. C’mon boy.”
Evan watched the two men thread their way to the dance
floor.
“Newlyweds,” Dustin said with a knowing look.
Time for a new round. Evan searched the floor for a server.
His attention was caught by someone standing about two feet away.
to be continued
Now go see what's up with the other Briefers!
No comments:
Post a Comment