Taylor really wanted to trust Adrian, and for a fleeting moment the previous day thought he might have been able to do so, but as he was standing in front of the floor length mirror in his bedroom surveying the outfit Adrian had chosen for him, he got the sneaking suspicion that it was going to be difficult to trust him at all. In any circumstance. It wasn’t that he looked bad, it was just that he had no idea where he was being taken, mostly against his will. He could only assume that their destination was a homosexually populated one and he wasn’t quite sure that he was ready for that. Taylor tugged uncomfortably at the cuffs of his black dress shirt and ran a hand through his hair one more time before heading into the kitchen to join Adrian. He found his life coach digging through his cabinets.
“Can I help you find something?” Taylor asked with annoyance, fighting the urge to fuss with his outfit more. He was just wearing a plain black dress shirt and some jeans but for some reason, it felt incredibly strange. Maybe it had something to do with the jeans Adrian had brought for him to wear and the fact that they were much tighter than the jeans he usually wore. Though tight jeans were typically his style, these went far beyond his usual range of comfort.
“No, I’ve got it, thanks,” Adrian said finally finding the alcohol cabinet. He peered inside for a few seconds before grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels and setting it triumphantly on the counter. “We need to do a toast!”
“To what? The fact that I actually crammed myself into these jeans?” Taylor asked, looking down at himself. Well, at least they drew attention to certain parts of his anatomy, he thought. And that’s when he realized that that reason was exactly why Adrian had chosen them. He rolled his eyes slightly as Adrian started his hunt through the cabinets again, this time for some shot glasses. Adrian was incredibly well dressed, and Taylor noted that he had obviously been in for a manicure recently. Taylor decided that either he was very metrosexual or was gay himself, a thought that made Taylor almost laugh at loud at the idea that Isaac might have hired a gay man to make his little brother straight.
“Very funny. I knew they’d fit you. Why do you think I was scoping out your wardrobe yesterday? Because I wanted to borrow some of your sorry clothes? I don’t think so,” Adrian started, “No, we’re toasting to you taking the second step towards finding yourself.”
“Second step?” Taylor asked as he accepted a shot glass from Adrian’s outstretched hand.
“The first step is always admitting that you have a problem. Honestly, I know you were home-schooled, but did you live under a rock, too?” Adrian scoffed before tapping his glass against Taylor’s. Taylor didn’t even bother responding to such a comment and drank down the liquid eagerly. If he was going to be taken to the kind of place he was expecting, then he needed to be quite drunk to handle it. Of that much, he was sure.
“Okay, so where are we going?” Taylor asked, grabbing his wallet from the counter and forcing it into the tight confines of his back pocket.
“Oh, only to the hottest gay club in Tulsa. Woohoo! Please try to contain your excitement,” Adrian said, filling Taylor’s shot glass once more before putting the bottle away. “You drink that, and then we’re leaving. I’m driving your car so you can drink until you’re comfortable and I can keep an eye on you.”
“I’d really rather you didn’t drive my car,” Taylor admitted as they went out to the garage.
“Too bad. I’ve never been in an accident and I haven’t a speeding ticket in the last five years so just stop whining and get in the car.” Taylor had never been a passenger in his own vehicle. He hadn’t even let Flannery drive it, and yet here he was, being forced to sit there and watch Adrian drive his car down the road with one arm out the window and an unmistakable smirk on his face. Adrian knew exactly how uncomfortable he was making Taylor and it was all part of the plan. In order to get Taylor to the place in his life where he could make a huge decision, he needed to get rid of all his little insecurities and personal issues. Babying his car was one of those, and Adrian fully intended to take immaculate care of Taylor’s precious vehicle, but wanted to shake him up just a little bit.
“Could you just slow down a little?” Taylor asked nervously, his knuckles white as they gripped the handle on the door. Adrian laughed at him and pressed down harder on the accelator.
“You need to lighten up, friend,” Adrian told him and Taylor tried his hardest not to scoff at his use of the word “friend.” They were not friends, they weren’t even close to being friends. Taylor was a client, and he was all too well aware of that fact. After about fifteen minutes of driving, much of which Taylor assumed was done to disorient him rather than to actually reach their destination. “Are you ready for your big debut?”
“It’s not a debut, it’s a step,” Taylor said. Adrian smiled and clapped a hand on Taylor’s shoulder as they made their way towards the large expansive building. “And, it’s going to be fine.”
“You think so?” Adrian asked.
“Yeah, one of my best friends bartends here, and he’s working tonight,” Taylor said as they approached the front doors, a large bright orange neon sign declaring the name of the establishment to be “Xcape” shining overhead. They stepped up to the front doors and were let inside ahead of the line forming. Taylor was surprised to see no paparazzi hanging out in front, but then remembered that he was in Tulsa and that no one was expecting him to go in a gay club. He also remembered that Adrian had promised him a lack of press, and started to wonder once more if he could maybe begin to trust him.
“Let’s go get you a drink, and then we’ll talk,” Adrian said, pushing him on the shoulders from behind in the direction of the large bar. Taylor spotted Tre hurrying around and taking orders and headed in that direction.
“Taylor! What the hell are you doing here?” Tre asked with a big smile as he came over to face them.
“I’ve been dragged here kicking and screaming,” Taylor replied.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Adrian rolled his eyes, “Can we get this boy some alcohol, please, barkeep?”
“Barkeep? You must be the life coach,” Tre laughed, “You want your usual, Taylor?” Taylor nodded in agreement and watched as Tre went to fix him a Jack on the rocks. He hadn’t yet let himself look around to take in the scene. As soon as he did that, the fact that he was in a gay bar ordering a drink would become real and he’d have to admit that he was really there.
“Drink up, TayTay-” Adrian started.
“Do not call me TayTay,” Taylor demanded.
“Okay, TayTay,” Adrian laughed, patting him on the back. Taylor started to head towards the door when Adrian grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. “Drink your bourbon and then we can chat.” Taylor sighed and took his glass from Tre’s hand.
“There you go, TayTay,” Tre laughed.
“Fuck off,” Taylor mumbled, shooting him a glare before reluctantly turning to face Adrian.
“Well, would you finally grow some nuts and take a look around the place? Yes, I’ve noticed that you haven’t done that yet. How can you possibly expect me to believe that you think you might be gay if you won’t even look at place?” Taylor knew he was right, so he finally took a deep breath and made his first effort to absorb the scenery.
In most respects it looked exactly like every other club he’d been to. Everyone was drunk or getting there and having a good time mingling. Some people were hitting on other people and there were plenty of couples dancing on the large dance floor. Yes, Taylor thought, it looked almost exactly like every other club he’d been to, except for the fact that all of them were men. Some were tall, some were short, some were dressed stylishly, and some were dressed in hardly anything at all.
“Um. It’s… interesting,” Taylor admitted, finishing off his drink before turning around to once again join the safeness of the bar that Tre was providing. Tre filled his drink quickly and then motioned for him to return to his discussion with Adrian. Taylor turned around reluctantly and almost jumped when he saw that Adrian had moved so that he was standing directly in front of him.
“Interesting? What the hell do you mean, interesting? Do you want to go mingle or what?” Adrian grinned.
“I just feel awkward. I don’t know what to do,” Taylor shrugged, wishing his drink would stop getting empty so fast.
“You go walk around and say hello to people who look interesting to you. You know, just like you would at a straight bar. What’s the matter with you?” Taylor just scrunched up his nose and turned towards the bar again. He was getting drunk and he knew it, and alcohol tended to make him act much more immature than usual. Either that or painfully horny. It was really a mixed bag with him.
“I just don’t feel like it,” Taylor practically whined, grabbing his newly refilled glass from Tre again.
“Either you go do it on your own, or I’m going to start playing “Haaaaaaaaave you met, Taylor?” ‘How I Met Your Mother’ style.” Taylor downed the last of his glass of liquor before slamming it down on the table and heading out into the crowd. He’d be damned if he’d let Adrian make all of his decisions for him. The crowd was undulating and massive, but he worked his way out to the dance floor somehow. He was by that time well on his way to being drunk and thought that dancing actually sounded pretty good after all.
The loud techno music filled his ears and he let his body move to the beat. He was basically unaware of everyone else around him as he danced. He wasn’t exactly mingling, but he figured that by throwing himself in the middle of the crowd he was probably appeasing Adrian enough to keep him away for at least a few minutes. In fact, Taylor was so absorbed in himself at that moment, that he didn’t notice when a body moved a bit closer to his than the rest. It even took him a few seconds to register that a hand had moved its way to his waist. When he did notice, he spun around to face the owner of the rather forward hand.
“God, you look even better from the front,” the guy said and Taylor felt his eyes open much wider than they usually opened when he was drunk. “Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere?”
“Um… no?” Taylor lied, hoping that the guy wouldn’t recognize him. He tried his hardest not to notice that the man still holding onto his waist was buff and had incredibly chiseled features.
“You’re Taylor Hanson. Holy shit, I didn’t know you were gay,” the still unnamed guy smirked, “I guess you learn something new every day, huh?”
“Um,” Taylor started, completely unaware of how to respond. He’d had guys hit on him before, but never in such an intimate situation and never when he’d been so incredibly intoxicated.
“I hope you’re more articulate than this when you sing,” the guy said.
“I’m really not,” Taylor replied truthfully. He knew that he annunciated for shit, and felt no need to pretend like he didn’t. That, and he really didn’t feel like he could have formed a believable lie at the moment if he had tried. The guy laughed heartily and ran his free hand through his hair, which Taylor noticed was about the same color and length as his.
“I’m Dominic. It’s very nice to meet you, inarticulate Taylor Hanson,” he said.
“What do you do, Dominic?” Taylor asked, forcing himself to pull it together and looking up at him with genuine interest. He didn’t know what his type was when it came to guys, and while he knew that Adrian wasn’t his type, he also knew that Dominic definitely might be.
“I’m a model. What, you couldn’t tell?” he smiled, stepping back slightly to show off his physique.
“I dunno,” Taylor laughed, almost falling over himself and grabbing onto Dominic’s arm for support.
“Don’t fall. God, how drunk are you?” Dominic cracked up, helping Taylor back to stability.
“On a scale of one to ten?” Taylor asked, squinting at Dominic as he found him to be increasingly blurry.
“Sure.”
“On a scale of one to ten, I’m very drunk,” Taylor stated, “And I think I need to be drunker.”
“Well then let’s go get you another drink!” Dominic said, slinging an arm around Taylor’s shoulders and leading him in the direction of the bar. Adrian blocked their path halfway there and stood there with a little obnoxious half smile on his face. Taylor managed to trip over his own feet and almost face planted when Dominic caught him again.
“Well well well, what do we have here?” Adrian asked.
“Shit, is this your boyfriend?” Dominic asked. Taylor looked somberly from Dominic’s face to Adrian before bursting into hysterical laughter.
“Boyfriend? Absolutely not!” Taylor laughed. He didn’t think he’d ever heard a funnier question in his entire life and had a very hard time stopping his laughter.
“No, I’m just helping Taylor out, that’s all,” Adrian said, “And now I think it’s time for me to be a good friend and get him home.”
“But he wants to stay and have another drink,” Dominic said, not relinquishing his hold on Taylor’s shoulders.
“Back off, model boy,” Adrian said with a sugary sweet smile on his face, “Taylor’s not ready for what you’re looking for, all right?”
“Shut up, Adrian!” Taylor exclaimed, pulling himself from Dominic’s grasp to approach his life coach, “I’m ready for anything!” Adrian yanked him close.
“Oh, so you’re ready for-” Adrian started before whispering several sexually explicit things in Taylor’s ear that made his jaw drop exaggeratedly.
“Um, no. I’m not ready for that,” he said before turning back to Dominic, “Sorry!” Dominic couldn’t help but smile at Taylor and he pulled something from his back pocket.
“Well, when you are, give me a call. We’ll grab dinner or something,” he said, slapping a business card into Taylor’s hand before walking away. Once he was out of earshot, Taylor turned around to face Adrian, waving the card in his face.
“Who got a number? I got a number! Oh yeah!” Taylor chanted, dancing around Adrian, who rolled his eyes and started pulling Taylor in the direction of the door.
“If you don’t stop that, he’s going to take that number right back,” Adrian scolded, not letting go of Taylor’s arm until they were outside. Taylor stared at the card for a second before struggling out his wallet and placing it safely inside. “Are you going to call him?”
“I don’t know… but at least I got a numbah!” he said goofily.
“You are such a lightweight,” Adrian laughed, opening the car door for Taylor and pushing him down into the passenger’s seat.
“I am not. Stop being mean,” Taylor complained, pressing his face against the cool glass of the window and letting himself zone out for the entire drive home. He wasn’t sure what to make of what had happened that evening, and he knew that he was much too drunk to think about it too much at the time. So, he just allowed himself to be driven home and tried not to worry about how Adrian was handling his car.
Once they were safely pulled into Taylor’s garage, he flung open the door and started dancing his way to the door.
“Macho macho man, I want to be a macho man,” he sang.
“Oh yeah, you’re the epitome of butchness,” Adrian scoffed, leading Taylor towards his bedroom, “Let’s get you to bed, princess.”
“I’m not a princess! I’m a Macho macho man!” Taylor said, completely out of his mind by that point.
“Whatever. Just get in bed, no! Don’t take off your clothes. I don’t want to see that. Just get in bed and go to sleep,” Adrian said, pulling back the covers and revealing the stuffed giraffe inside, “Oh, what the hell is that?”
“A present from Flannery,” Taylor said softly, taking the giraffe and cradling in his arms before climbing beneath the covers.
“And why is it in your bed?”
“I snuggle it at night,” Taylor mumbled, already half asleep. Adrian raised an eyebrow and threw the covers back over him.
“Yeah, I’ll bet you do. And have you named this thing?”
“I call it…” Taylor said, trying in his drunk, half-asleep state to think of a good name, “Mr. Spanky.”
“God you’re weird. I can’t believe a male supermodel gave you his number tonight.”
“Supermodel?” Taylor asked, peeking an eye open.
“Ugh. You’re hopeless. I’ll call you tomorrow. Sleep this off. I can’t handle you like this.”
“You sleep it off,” Taylor said, and then he passed out, fully dressed hugging Mr. Spanky with a supermodel’s phone number safely lodged in his back pocket.