Defense Reaction (Part 3 - Final)

Peter catches feelings and Gary's world is blown to pieces, leaving him wondering if he will ever be worthy of Daniel's love.

In the last installment of Defense Reaction

Defense Reaction (Part 2)

In the first instalment of Defense Reaction

Defense Reaction (Part 1)

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Aaron fussed with his drink, spinning the ice around the perimeter of the glass as he tried to portray a sense of authority in front of his employees.

Whereas, in reality, all he wanted to do was find a dark, secluded place to stretch out on his stomach with an ice pack to soothe his throbbing, heated ass. Nathan hadn’t let the fact that they were away from the apartment deter him from dispensing his punishment.

It wasn’t as bad as the wooden paddle Nathan normally used, but Nathan’s hand had done a number on him.

“How are you doing?” Nathan asked as he wrapped his arm around Aaron’s waist.

“I don’t know how I’m going to sit through dinner.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you misbehaved.”

“I know. It won’t happen again.” Aaron clapped his hands together. “Hey, there’s Gary.” He smiled warmly, then strode off across the room to take Gary’s outstretched hand. “I didn’t realize you were in the office. Everyone was starting to wonder when you were coming back.”

“I was showing Daniel around.” Gary stepped aside, letting Daniel move up beside him. “Aaron, this is my—”

“Partner,” Daniel interjected and looked at Gary for approval.

Gary smiled, then nodded and set his hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

“This is my partner, Daniel.”

“Oh, …it’s um …nice to meet you.” Aaron furrowed his brow as he shook Daniel’s hand. Nathan gripped the back of his neck. “Sorry.” He stepped aside to let Nathan through. “Nathan, this is my star accountant, Gary, I’ve been telling you about. And this….” He touched Daniel’s elbow lightly. “Is his partner, Daniel.”

“Oh—” Nathan said, shaking both their hands. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you …both.” He tapped nervously at his leg as he looked around the room. “I’m going to check on everyone’s drinks and get one for myself. Would you care to join me, Daniel?”

“Um, sure—” Daniel brushed his hand down Gary’s arm and passed him his satchel. “I’ll be back in a second, hun. Should I grab you a gin and tonic while I’m up there?”

“That would be great, thanks.” Gary hooked Daniel’s hand as he turned to leave. “Hey. Thank you for coming tonight. It means a lot to me.”

“From here on in, it’s just you and me, all right?” Daniel moved to follow Nathan, but Gary caught his waist and pulled him back for a quick kiss on the lips.

“I love you, you know?” Gary said.

“I know …I love you too, but …” Daniel looked around at the faces staring at them. “You’re making people uncomfortable.” He tipped his head. “They don’t know you’re gay, do they?”

“They know now,” Aaron said, searching the room. His business partner Phil hadn’t arrived yet.

“Gary?” A voice behind Gary spoke. “What the hell?”

Daniel peered over Gary’s shoulder. “Baby, I’m going to head over to the bar with Nathan. With everything that’s happened today, I don’t think I’m up to meeting one of your fuck buddies right now.” He kissed Gary’s cheek as he eyed up who had spoken.

“Who the fuck is he?” Peter asked, pointing at Daniel, who hadn’t managed to make his escape to the bar with Nathan quite yet. Peter’s eyes were moist, and his breathing rapid as he spoke. “You said you weren’t seeing anyone.”

“I wasn’t.” Gary attempted to usher Peter down the hall for some privacy, but Peter wouldn’t budge. Instead, his voice became louder, silencing everyone else in the room.

“Then who the fuck is he?” Peter asked again.

“I told you my life was complicated.” Gary glanced around. Everyone was listening, and Aaron’s face had taken on an uncharacteristic crimson hue. He was pissed.

“You’ve only been in town for two weeks.” Peter continued. “Where did you find him? Some pretentious gay bar downtown.”

“Peter, I didn’t just pick him up. I’ve known Daniel since high school. We’ve been roommates for years.”

“That’s Daniel? The guy you were talking to on the phone?” Peter swallowed. “He moved here with you?” Gasping, he ran a hand across his face. “Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

He stopped, anger suddenly etching lines in his face. “Have you been fucking him the whole time you’ve been fucking me?”

A collective intake of breath preceded the disbursement of their co-workers, who were now pretending they hadn’t been listening.

Gary grasped Peter’s shoulders, imploring him to calm down. He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “Peter, please... it wasn’t like that. You know it wasn’t.”

Peter wrenched his body out of Gary’s grip. “How do I know that? I told you how I felt about you today. You knew I was falling in love with you …and you didn’t think to mention him—” His eyes darted over Daniel’s features, and his face contorted. “Fuck …I can’t compete with that.”

“This isn’t a competition, Peter,” Daniel said. “I’m sure the three of us can work something out.”

Gary spun around to face Daniel. “What?”

“Oh, no, no …whoa there, guys!” Aaron said, approaching at an extreme pace. “You need to take this discussion somewhere else. Preferably far away from this office.”

Nathan placed his hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “Aaron’s right. It’s time for you all to leave. Now. Please. We’ll do dinner another time.”