Bomber watched the openly gay couple on the other side of the room and smiled. Bomber knew he wasn’t gay, but has always been bisexual since even before Basic. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the reaction he did to Victoria.
Speaking of which, she was also on the other side of the room. Lorenco was next to him, chatting it up with the opera’s tenor in his native Spanish. Bomber merely stood next to him, feeling like a bodyguard, but comfortable in his presence.
Then, suddenly, Lorenco turned around, and Bomber was startled when someone put a heavy hand on his shoulder. Standing directly behind him was a man wearing glasses, with a small earpiece and a black wire that led into his jacket. “Please come with me.”
Bomber glanced at Lorenco who nodded once, then returned his attention to the tenor. Bomber followed the bear of a man through the foyer out to the front of the marquee. He directed him to a man dressed in a typical coat over his tux, a fine white scarf draped strategically around his neck. People like that usually made Bomber disgusted. Under the influence of his clan’s curse, it pissed him off.
The bear whispered something to the man. The man turned to him, and Bomber caught the scent of fine cologne. He also felt something similar to what the woman had presented to him, something that drew his entire attention and being to him.
“Good evening, Mr. Michaelaine.”
“Good evening, sir.”
The man gave him a hint of a smile. “Good, a soldier with manners.”
“They taught us that in Basic,” he replied. “But you have one up on me, sir, knowing my name.”
“I understand you’re a marksman,” the man said, pulling out a cigarette case. He offered one to Bomber who shook his head. “I have always wanted to learn how to shoot. What exactly do you shoot?”
“Just who are you?”
“Answer my question, Mr. Michaelaine,” he said, pushing it. Bomber could feel it, a near voice of command, ordering him to answer the question.
“Rifles, pistols, automatics, shotguns.” The pressure eased. Bomber wondered if he could fight it, or turn the tables on him and push it at him as well. He didn’t want to intentionally show his hand. That reaction to Victoria was instantaneous and uncontrollable. This, he could control.
“Hm, shotgun. Skeet shooting?”
“I can.”
“I have quite a large amount of land. I’m sure I can set up a blind.”
The man didn’t want him for shooting lessons, Bomber suddenly realized, otherwise he wouldn’t have used that term. “With all due respect, sir, my days are usually booked.”
“As are mine.” He studied Bomber intently, not undressing him with his eyes, but as if peering into his soul. Again, that hint of a smile crossed his face. “It’s good to see some new blood in town.”
“Who–”
“That doesn’t concern you, Mr. Michaelaine. I will be contacting you.” He turned away from Bomber and walked over to a waiting limo. The bear of a man held the door open for him, and then climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Who was that?” Lorenco touched his back when he spoke.
“I don’t know,” Bomber said. “He wants me to teach him skeet shooting. But I don’t think that’s what he really wants.”
“I’m sure it’s not. It’s probably to figure out who you are.”
“He knew my name. He wouldn’t tell me his.”
Lorenco looked curious. “Possibly Ventrue. They have a lot of contacts. You did announce your name to Ms. Romano.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have?”
“It was the polite thing to do,” he said, “even if all she wanted was to get in your pants.”
“I’d rather have someone else concentrate on what’s in my pants.”
Lorenco looked up at him and grinned. Bomber put his arm around Lorenco’s shoulder and pulled him close. “Let’s finish what you started in that theater.”
“I’ll cut off that tux button by button,” Lorenco replied, leaning into his man.