Thom attempted to motivate himself. He desperately needed this cash-in-hand job because, for the umpteenth time, his bastard of a landlord had threatened to throw him out of the pit he laughingly called a studio apartment. Thom guessed a prison cell would have more room, even if he had to share it with some brute of a bloke covered in tattoos, and he hoped there’d certainly be fewer creepy-crawlies of the cockroach variety. Still, the ones he currently shared with kept him amused—he had a low boredom threshold—and provided extra protein.

Rising from the bed, he stretched his long limbs, secured the elasticated bow tie he kept for these occasions under his white shirt collar, grabbed his coat, locked up and hurried down the concrete stairs.

As soon as his body experienced the freezing cold air, he shivered. I need a warmer coat. Human bodies aren’t meant to be this cold. Judy was due to pick him up to take him to the waiting on gig she’d found for them. It wasn’t what either of them wanted, but a person had to eat.

The noise of her old banger of a car reached his ears before he saw it. Held together by string and rubber bands, the Citroen CV drew up to the kerb. Thom opened the passenger door and climbed inside. He needed to position his knees practically up to his chest to get himself in properly with the door shut.

“You’re late,” he said, reaching for the seat belt.

“You’re bloody lucky I got here at all. Dolly doesn’t like the cold, and it’s brass-monkeys tonight. I thought big cities were supposed to have micro-climates or something that made them a few degrees warmer. If that’s true, it must be like the Arctic in the rest of Britain.” She shifted the car into gear, and it shuddered into action. “Any luck with the audition yesterday?”

“Nah, apparently I was the wrong physical type. They wanted someone butcher, and let’s face it, darling, I don’t do butch. You?”

“I got down to the last eight, thanks to my ballet training. It’s one of those fancy cruise liners—like mini cities. They’re doing a Vegas-type show, all sequins and feathers. If I get it, I’ll be away for months, but the money is reasonable, and I’ll get to see more of the world. Maybe I’ll find a millionaire.”

“A girl can dream. How many do they want?”

“Four girls, so I’ve a chance. And God, I need the money. They give you room and board as well, so there are no hidden extras to pay for.”

“That’s a bonus.”

“And I might get to sing as well.”

“Doing your impersonations. You’ll love that. Think how you can dress up.”

“I know, and you never know who’s on these ships.”

Judy parked around the back of the theatre. “Bloody ironic to be waiting on tables here. Didn’t you audition for the backing dancers on this show?”

“Yep, and got down to the final eight, but they said my singing wasn’t good enough. The choreographer was a bastard anyway. Maybe if I’d gone down on my knees or bent over as he wanted, I’d have got the part.”

“Hmm,” Judy said, glancing at him. “Even you have some standards, I suppose.”

Thom pressed a hand to his chest. “I certainly do, and he had the breath of a warthog.”

Once inside, they found their way to the appointed room to receive the usual pep talk. Waiting on tables provided extra income for them both. Thom listened to the familiar instructions about handing out the canapés and champagne, and how any breakages would come out of their meagre wages—he’d heard the speech so many times before.

That evening there were only six of them, so his feet would be aching by the end. Each time he worked one of these gigs, he hoped a director, producer or someone would notice him and the way he moved effortlessly between tables.

While Sandra droned on, Thom glanced at his fellow waiters. Usually they knew each other, and he nodded at a couple, but farthest away from him stood a tall, dark-haired, bespectacled cutie he’d not seen before who was listening intently to Sandra’s spiel. New faces meant at least Sandra’s eyes would be on someone else for a change.

He attempted to work out which side this one batted for. Thom had a thing for glasses, and the men who wore them. So many of the men he met were more interested in looking at themselves in the mirror, even on the most intimate of occasions. They would not have been seen dead wearing such face-furniture. This one had dark spiked hair, stood—Thom would guess—around six-foot tall and was currently fiddling with his tie. Was he yet another aspiring actor or dancer or singer, trying to pay the rent? If he had to guess, Thom would say no. There was something appealing about him, though. Thom sidled around the back of the group until he stood next to his target, then waited for Sandra to finish.

“And finally, turn off all your phones. For the next few hours you have no life outside these four walls. Anyone I see with a phone in their hand will be fined. Do you understand?”

They nodded and Sandra walked away. Thom took his chance.

“Hi, I’m Thom,” he said, holding out his hand. “I haven’t seen you at one of these events before.”

The stranger had a firm handshake and a nice smile. “No, a friend knew I could do with some extra money—for Christmas and everything—so I thought I’d give it a go out of term time.”

“You’re a student then?” Thom asked. He wouldn’t have pegged this one as being so young.

“Yes, a grad student at London Met. I’m in my third year of a PhD in ecology. Any extra earnings help with the debts.”

“Wow, so you’ll be a doctor.” This one was obviously bright as well as cute. Thom flashed what he hoped was a sexy smile. “Brains as well as beauty.”

A red flush spread up the other man’s face.

“So does such a clever and interesting person have a name?”

More blushing—oh, this one could be fun, and judging by the fact he hadn’t yet told Thom to piss off, there was some hope he might walk on Thom’s side of the tracks.

“Tyler. My name is Tyler, and are you always so forthright with your opinions?”

“I tell it as I see it,” Thom said, licking his lips.

Tyler flushed again. “So…umm…you’ve done waiting on before then?”

Thom went with the change of subject. “Too many times. In real life I’m a dancer, although I can act and sing a bit.”

“Like Fred Astaire.”

“What?” Thom frowned.

“Fred Astaire,” Tyler continued. “You must have heard of him.”

“Of course I have.”

“Someone said that about him in an interview. Can’t act. Can’t sing. Balding. Can dance a little. I guess you haven’t struck lucky yet, or you wouldn’t be here—you’d be in a show already.”

Thom frowned again and folded his arms. Was this guy for real? And had he meant to be so offensive? Thom instinctively ran his hand through his almost black hair. “As it happens, I can do all three of those things, and I’ve an audition next week for a new show.” Thom had real hopes this time. “So, what will this stuff you’re doing lead to, then? Is there a lot of money in—what was it again?”

“Ecology,” Tyler said. “And no, there isn’t a lot of money in it. My particular paper researches ways to protect bees and how to provide the best ecological conditions for them to survive. Most people have no idea how serious the decline in the bee population is and how much we depend on them.”

“According to Doctor Who, bees are aliens, and they are simply leaving the planet to return home.” Damn, that’s showing my geek hand early.

“Really? I’ll bear it in mind. I’m sure my professor would be interested in your theory.” Tyler glared at Thom over his glasses. His brown eyes sparkled with flecks of green.

For a moment, Thom wondered if they shared other interests. Blood rushed to his cock. Hmm, maybe Tyler has hidden depths worth further investigation after all. Currently, his expression suggested he wanted to put Thom over his knee and spank him.

Thom couldn’t help himself. Once he had a new toy, teasing was half the fun. Capturing, then stepping away, letting them think they were off the hook, and he wasn’t interested. Hmm, it’s time to put some distance between me and him, but also show off my moves.

“Well, it’s been fun.” He turned on the spot. Luckily for him, people began to arrive in the room, and he disappeared among them to pick up a platter of drinks. When he saw his ex-boyfriend Marcus among the crowd, he immediately wanted the floor to open up and allow him to make a quick exit. How Marcus had won his current role, Thom wasn’t exactly sure, but judging by the way he was attached limpet-like to the older man next to him, Thom could make a pretty good guess.

Showtime. He picked up a tray of champagne. Time to mingle. He moved off in the opposite direction to his ex and began to circulate.

Throughout the evening, Thom found it hard to keep an eye out for both of his targets while trying to sneak a canapé or five, seeing as he hadn’t eaten since the bowl of cereal he’d wolfed down too quickly that morning. Why did people wolf? No one ever catted. He breathed in, squeezing his body through gaps he shouldn’t be able to manage, holding the tray above him and using his natural advantages to good effect. He claimed he was double jointed when the curious asked how he managed to get into such small spaces.

Out of the corner of his left eye, he spotted Marcus draped over his man. It would take a jemmy to force them apart. Still, it meant Marcus hadn’t found him yet. He bumped into another body and turned to find Tyler holding on tightly to his tray.

“Good job it wasn’t a full one,” Tyler muttered, “or we’d be covered in champagne and food, and I’d have lost my bonus. And here was me thinking you were the more experienced of the two of us.”

Was this guy serious? How could he deliver that much innuendo with such a straight face?

“Oh, I don’t lack experience,” Thom replied, struggling to resist pressing his body next to the other man. “And I’m happy to share my knowledge and skills. I could come home with you tonight and show you a few moves if you wanted.” And hopefully you’ll have a warm bed and central heating.

Tyler took a step back as Thom deliberately crowded his personal space. “Bloody hell, do you have any boundaries? What if I said I wasn’t interested in getting to know you better?”

“Judging by the dilation of your eyes, I’d say you were lying.” Not to mention the pheromones. “I could try checking other parts of your body, just to be certain.”

“Shit! Are you always this full-on?”

Thom rubbed his hip along Tyler’s thigh. “What can I say? If I see something I like, I don’t see the point in dilly-dallying, although I do love the chase. And I’m happy if you want to play hard to get.”

“What if I don’t want to play at all?”

“Then I’ll walk away.” He turned. Oh bugger. Marcus was heading straight for him. Thom fixed a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat on his face.

“I thought it was you,” Marcus said. “You’d think a company of this calibre could afford a classier level of hired help.”

“And how wonderful it is to see you again, too, Marcus. I see your sugar daddy has let go of your hand.”

Marcus glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, Jimmy, you mean. He’s the producer. I believe, unlike me, you didn’t get through the first round of auditions. His next show is on Broadway, so we’ll be travelling to New York next week. I could put in a good word for you.”

“Would I have to sleep with him?” For Thom it wouldn’t have been the first time, but he wasn’t going to give that information to Marcus. He wanted to hiss and stretch his claws. Stop it. He needed to get a grip on himself.

“I’ll have you know we got together after I got the part. Are you doing anything at the moment?” He waved a hand around. “Other than this? And how is your lovely friend? I see she’s here somewhere as well. What was her name again?” He chuckled. “I seem to recall she has all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.”

Thom did not want to have this conversation. “I have no idea who you’re talking about,” he replied, conscious Tyler had moved off again and certain Sandra’s gaze was burning a hole in the back of his head. He could sense those things. The hair on his neck stood to attention.

“Judy,” Marcus continued. “That was her name. She had the voice of a crow and the feet of an elephant.”

“As it happens, she’s got a great job on a cruise for a couple of months,” Thom lied. Well, she had a chance.

“Oh, so you’re going to be all by your little self again. Maybe we could meet up.”

Thom quickly retracted a couple of claws attempting to get out and swipe the smirk off his ex’s still attractive face. “I don’t share or do threesomes. And I have other friends.”

“Come on, the only person I met in the short time we had together was Judy.”

“He has me.”

Thom glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see Tyler standing behind him. He wasn’t sure what to say. A condition he wasn’t used to.

“And who might you be?” Marcus drawled.

“You don’t need to know who I am as I can’t imagine a time I would ever want to become more acquainted with you. And tonight is fine for you to come to my place, Thom.”

What he hoped was Tyler’s hand stroked his arse, and he leant back craving more. Did he mean it or was this declaration just for show? Either way, Thom was grateful.

“Marcus.”

All three of them turned to see the producer had returned and was beckoning Marcus back to his side.

“You’d better scurry over there, hadn’t you? Wouldn’t want one of the others to seize their chance while you’re still flavour of the moment.”

“Watch out, Thom. Those green eyes of yours are flashing signs of jealousy. I wish you well of him, whoever you are. I should tell you his eating habits are awful. You do not want to see him tear apart shellfish. The girl in Splash was genteel compared to him.”

Thom’s cheeks heated at the reminder of getting caught crunching down on a bowl of langoustines still in their shells.

Tyler tapped his nose. “Good to know. I like a man with a decent appetite. Shows me he knows what to do with his mouth. Don’t let us keep you.”

Thom waited until Marcus was once again latched on to his man. He touched Tyler’s arm. “Did you mean what you said about me coming home with you tonight or were you just being helpful?”

“Maybe,” Tyler replied, before he dived back into the crowd, having picked up another full tray.

Thom caught Sandra’s eye and smiled before manhandling a platter of canapés back into the noisy throng. He spotted Tyler out of the corner of his eye. He liked this one. He liked this one a lot. Tyler was obviously so much more than a cute face and decent body.