Lick, Slam, Suck
by Kikkimax
Jay Brady walked into the crowded room and took a slow
look around. It didn’t take him any time at all to spot the graduate. The
brand spankin’ new Doctor Blair Sandburg was all over the place, laughing
and talking to everyone, obviously in the spirit of the celebration. Blair
waved like a mad man when he spotted him and Jay couldn’t help but smile.
Dodging students, teachers, and half the police force, Blair half-trotted,
half-danced over.
“Jay!” Blair shouted over the music. “You made it!”
He then grabbed Jay by the ears and kissed him firmly on the mouth in front of
God and everybody, before releasing the bigger man with a flourish. Jay barely
caught his Stetson before it hit the floor. Not only did Blair smell like a
brewery, he tasted like one too.
“You know I wouldn’t miss your party, little buddy,”
Jay yelled back when he overcame his shock and found his voice. “Sorry I
couldn’t make the ceremony. I was knee deep in hookers.”
“Such is the life of a vice cop, man. It’s okay,”
Blair assured loudly. “Believe me, we’ve got pictures. Between Jim and
Simon they could have turned out the overheads and held the whole thing by the
light of the flashes.”
“They’re just proud of you. God knows you went
through a hell of a lot to make this happen.”
“Woo hoo!” Blair agreed. “Come on, let’s get a
drink. Oh, wait there’s Professor Calvert. He needs a kiss.”
“Do what ya gotta do, kid. I’ll be at the bar.”
Blair nodded and headed off toward his next victim.
Brady scanned the crowd and quickly located Simon and Henri in a heated and
rather inebriated discussion that he thought he’d just as soon stay out of.
Megan was slow dancing with Rafe, and awfully close at that, but Jay knew he
had no right to say anything. Not after the way they broke up. And then there
was Ellison, leaning against the wall and looking miserable in the noisy,
smoke filled room and giving him a look that would freeze water. Jay shot him
a mock salute and headed the other direction.
“I guess sometimes it sucks to be a Sentinel,” Jay
muttered under his breath. “You sack ’a shit.”
He knew he shouldn’t still be angry, but he was. Just
when it looked like there might be some chance of a friendship with the other
detective, all hell had broken loose. Jim had pushed Blair away again after
Blair had turned down the badge, choosing instead to fight the university over
the leaked dissertation. Jay didn’t take kindly to anyone treating his
friends badly, and Blair was certainly no exception.
A lot of things had been said between him and Ellison
before the whole mess was settled. Finally, Blair was cleared and reinstated
at school, and all without disrupting Ellison’s secret or career. But sides
had been taken and somehow Jay had come out as the bad guy, at least in the
eyes of the Major Crime group, much to Blair’s dismay. A lot of
relationships had been sacrificed in the fall out. Including the one he might
have had with Megan.
Blair’s status at the police department had taken a
little longer to fix, but it too was straightened out once Ellison got his act
together and admitted he had overreacted. Again. Jay didn’t begrudge
Sandburg’s partnership with Jim, especially since Blair had carefully
explained the sentinel/guide part of it. He just didn’t like the on again,
off again pattern. It was wearing to watch and he couldn’t imagine living
it.
Still fuming internally, Jay took the empty stool at the
bar next to a very large, very hairy man in a suit. “Michelob,” he said to
the bartender before turning to watch the man next to him down a shot of
tequila. Lick, slam, suck.
“Hey, barkeep,” Jay shouted. “Give me one of
those, too.” He indicated the man’s drink next to him with his thumb. “And
bring another one for my friend here.”
The man gave him a surprised look and then grinned. “You
sure know how to start a friendship on the right foot, especially for a cop.”
Brady shrugged and didn’t bother to ask. There were
two distinct groups at the party; the college-type and the police-type. And
the guy next to him was definitely not a cop.
“Jay Brady,” Jay said and offered his hand.
“Jerry Stahl.” The big man gave him a firm handshake
just as the round of tequila was poured in front of him.
“So, how long have you known our boy?”
Stahl laughed. “He must have been sixteen the first
time I met him. Hell, I practically raised the little shit.”
“Well you did a damn fine job,” Jay said and licked
his hand before generously sprinkling it with salt from the shaker the
bartender had placed in front of him. “To Blair,” Jay said and tipped his
shot glass slightly in the other man’s direction. Jerry followed suit and
wordlessly they licked the salt, slammed the shot, then squeezed the lime
wedges against their teeth.
“Good stuff,” Jay rasped out harshly.
“You bet,” the other man agreed. “Barkeep? Just
set us up with the bottle.”
The bartender examined the quarter full bottle and
shrugged. “Eighteen bucks,” he said. “Just don’t tell any of the vice
cops.”
Brady grinned wickedly and dropped a twenty on the
counter. “I am the vice cops,” he proclaimed as he snagged the bottle, his
shot glass and his beer and headed for a quiet, dark corner table that had
just opened up right behind the bar.
Jerry followed with a hand full of limes and the salt
shaker, and then returned immediately for his forgotten shot glass. “That’s
better,” Jerry stated as he joined Brady at the table and took off his
jacket and tie. “Much quieter. You got a knife?”
Brady whipped out a six-inch pocketknife and stuck the
blade into the table so that it stood straight up.
“You sure don’t act like a cop,” Jerry observed as
he rolled his sleeves up to reveal his beefy, tattooed forearms. He pried the
knife loose and made quick work of the limes.
“Thanks. You don’t look like a college professor.”
Jerry laughed and poured another round. “So… are you
and Blair… close?” he asked carefully.
“Sometimes,” Jay said sadly, taking his hat off and
reverently laying it brim up on the table. “Depends on how Ellison is
treating him that particular week.”
“Oh,” the mountain of a man said quietly. “I was
hoping Blair had found someone nice so that he could get over Ellison.”
Brady licked his hand thoughtfully and applied a
generous amount of salt. “What do you mean? You don’t mean… Blair’s
not gay,” Jay proclaimed at last. “He just kissed me when I came in
because…. I don’t know why, but he’s kissing everybody tonight.”
“Yeah, I noticed. And so did Ellison. He was fine
until Blair kissed you. Never saw a mood sour so fast in my life.”
“That’s just because me and Jim don’t get along so
well. But Blair’s not gay.” Lick, slam….
“No, he’s bi.”
….choke. “What?” Jay managed between coughs. “Who
told you that?”
Jerry leaned forward and patted the sputtering cowboy on
the back. “Nobody had to tell me. Is it a problem?”
“Hell no. I love the kid. But I don’t LOVE him.
Shit. Are you serious? What about Ellison? ‘Cause he told me they weren’t,”
Jay babbled as his temper flared. “The whole thing makes more sense now. So
Ellison just can’t make up his mind, is that it? I’ll kick his ass, that
sonofabitch.”
“Whoa, hold on there, Tex. I don’t think Ellison
even knows that he’s in love with Blair. But it certainly explains his
attitude. I don’t think it’s ever occurred to him why he gets so
possessive. And don’t tell me it’s a Sentinel thing.”
“Oh, you know about that, too.” Jay took a long
swallow of his beer to ease his throat.
“It didn’t take a freaking genius to figure out that
Blair’s first dissertation wasn’t a fake. I was pissed at myself for not
putting two and two together a long time ago,” Jerry admitted as he drank
down another shot, sans salt this time.
“You said that you knew for sure that Blair is, you
know…”
“It was a long time ago, and we’ve been friends for
years since,” Jerry assured. “He was young and curious. Unfortunately, he
was also gorgeous and I couldn’t help myself.”
“Oh, shit. Please tell me he was at least eighteen or
I’ll have ta whip your ass, too,” Jay threatened and then took another
long look at his possible opponent. “Die trying, maybe.”
“He was almost twenty,” Jerry assured with an amused
smirk.
“Thank God. I need my teeth.” Lick, slam, suck. “So
what do we do about Ellison?”
Jerry grinned wickedly. “We could always force his
hand. Make him take a good look at what he’s missing.”
“How?” Jay asked and located Blair, who was dancing
with abandon in the midst of the crowd.
“Give him a little competition.” Jerry stood up and
let out a wolf whistle that stopped nearly everyone in the place, even over
the music. “Come ‘ere, Sandburg,” he yelled. Blair looked up with a
shit-eating grin and made his way through the crowd.
“What are you gonna do?” Jay asked expectantly.
“I’m not gonna do anything. You are.”
“Huh?”
“Jim doesn’t see me as a threat. Blair kissed me
tonight, too. Right in front of Ellison, but he didn’t even flinch.”
Lick, slam, suck. Slam. Slam. “Okay. I can do this,”
Jay assured his partner in crime just as Blair swaggered over to the table.
“Hey! Have you guys met?” Blair asked exuberantly.
“Jerry, Jay. Jay, Jerry.”
“Have a drink with us, kid. I was just telling Jay
here about old times.”
“Don’t believe a word he says, man. It wasn’t my
fault that somebody rearranged those slides. And the class was about mating
rituals,” Blair protested immediately. “That was ten years ago! I swear,
Jerry, I didn’t do it.”
“I didn’t say you did,” Jerry snickered. “I only
said…”
“That monkey was drunk. I never even saw the spear
until it was too late.”
Brady guffawed. “Okay, I’ve got to hear about that
one,” he declared.
“Later, right now we’re gonna have a drink. Here,
Blair,” Jerry offered Jay’s shot glass full of tequila.
“Okay,” Blair said and found Jay’s hand under his
nose, salted up and ready. Blair shrugged, but went along. Lick, slam, suck.
His eyes narrowed as he caught the look that passed between his two friends.
“What’s going on, guys. Next thing I know you’ll want me to take body
shots.”
“Body shots! Great idea,” Jerry agreed.
“Uh huh,” Blair mumbled suspiciously.
Jay reached up and grabbed Blair by the hand and pulled
him down to straddle his lap. “Kiss me again, Blair.”
“Wh… What?” Blair stammered and tried to pull
away.
“Come on, kiss me.” Jay stuck his fingers through
the belt loops at Blair’s hips to stop his escape.
Blair glanced around nervously.
“Come on,” Brady urged again. “Only somebody with super
human eye sight would see us back here in this dark corner.”
“Super human eye sight? Like a…”
“He’s <cough, cough> looking this way,”
Jerry said very softly, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Oh. OOHHH,” Blair said as the clue bus struck. He
quickly grabbed Jay’s face and checked his adenoids with his tongue.
“He’s coming,” Jerry said urgently. “Blair,
write something down for me and then get lost.”
“Wow,” Jay mumbled in a daze when Blair released
him.
“What do you want me to write?”
“Just copy this on that napkin and leave it lying on
the table. Hurry. He looks pissed.”
Blair chuckled as he wrote hastily on the napkin with
Jerry’s felt tip pen. “You guys are the best,” he declared and kissed
both of them soundly before heading back down to the dance floor.
“Megan never kissed me like that,” Jay muttered,
still looking slightly dazed.
Jerry placed another shot in front of him with a knowing
smile. “Kinda makes you want to switch teams, doesn’t it?” he teased.
“Did I say wow? Cause if I didn’t….”
“Jerry,” Ellison said gruffly as he reached the
table, glaring menacingly at Jay.
“Hey, Jim. Real nice party. Blair deserves this.”
“Yeah, he does,” Jim replied stonily, his eyes never
leaving Brady’s face.
Jay reached up with a knuckle and wiped seductively at
his still moist lip. “Ellison.”
“Outside,” Jim demanded as he grabbed Brady by the
collar and levered him out of the chair. Big hands covered his and applied
subtle pressure. “Get off me,” Jim breathed dangerously.
“You get off him,” Jerry countered in a reasonable
tone.
“He doesn’t need you to protect him. We’ve danced
before,” Jim ground out between clenched teeth.
“Let’s do it,” Jay growled and pushed Jim back
forcefully, knocking both of the other men back slightly. Jerry’s chair
tipped over and crashed to the floor.
“No!” Jerry insisted as the plan fell apart. “Don’t
do this tonight. This is Blair’s night. Don’t let him remember it as the
night you two broke up his party by fighting.”
The two combatants continued to posture, but neither
made a move. “Sit down, Jay. Have a drink,” Jerry urged.
Jay moved his chair away from Ellison and poured himself
another drink. “You too, Jim. Don’t be so damn stubborn.” Jerry righted
his chair and pressed the unhappy man into it. “Let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Jim grumbled. “He’s
been trying to come between me and Blair from day one.”
“You mean like the way you came between me and Megan?”
Jay asked acidly.
Jim had the grace to look slightly ashamed. “I never
got the chance to say…. Aw, hell, Jay. I know that was my fault.”
“Forget it.”
“No. I’m really sorry about Megan. That particular
argument should have stayed between you and me.”
“Jim,” Brady said in exasperation. “Why the hell
don’t you just admit that you’re in love with Blair and get it over with?”
“What?” Jim exclaimed, jumping to his feet again.
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” Lick, slam, suck.
“No, you don’t. As usual. Just stay away from my
partner,” Jim threatened.
Brown eyes looked up at him and Brady smiled softly. “If
Blair wants to be with me, you don’t have any say in it.”
“Blair’s all grown up now,” Jerry agreed and went
for the kill. “You have no right to tell him who to love.”
Jim hazarded a glance toward Jerry, but something on the
table caught his eye. He recognized the scrawl immediately.
*Meet me out front at one o’clock and I’ll let
you give me a special graduation gift. B*
Without another word, Jim walked away.
“Well?” Jay asked.
“It’s twelve thirty now,” Jerry sighed. “I guess
we wait and see. You weren’t kidding that the two of you don’t get along.”
“We’ve had a long row to hoe, my friend. And we’re
not at the end of it yet.” Jay emptied the bottle into the shot glasses for
one last drink. “To love,” he said with a sorrowful tone of voice.
“To love.”
Twenty-five minutes later Jay held out his hand. “Nice
to meet you, son.”
Jerry took the hand and pulled the cowboy in for a hug.
“I’ll see you around. Don’t be a stranger.”
Jay nodded and put on his hat. He ambled towards the
front of the club, all too aware of the eyes burning into his back. When he
reached the door, he turned back to look. Ellison crossed his arms over his
chest and dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Damn,” Brady swore under his breath. “That nut’s
too hard to crack. Your loss, Ellison.”
He swung the door open and stepped out into the cool
night air. Blair was waiting for him. With Megan.
“Sorry, kid,” Jay said apologetically. “I don’t
think he went for it.”
“He’ll come around,” Blair shrugged. “Eventually.”
“Good thing you’re still young,” Jay teased, then
sobered. “Megan.”
“Hello, Jay,” Megan said softly. “We were just
talking about you.”
Brady snorted. “Is that right?”
“I think we need to have a conversation ourselves.”
“I don’t know, darlin’. I think we’ve already
said everything.”
“Come on, Jay,” Blair insisted. “Don’t pull an
Ellison here. At least hear her out.”
“I’ll drive you home,” Megan offered. “You’re
in no shape.”
“You gonna take advantage of me?” Jay flirted
shamelessly.
“Maybe,” Megan said as she pulled him towards his
truck.
Jay took off his hat and put it on her head. “Make
that a definite and I’ll go willingly.”
Megan beamed at him as he handed over his keys. “Bye,
Blair. Congratulations.”
“You two be good,” Blair called after them with a
grin.
“We always are,” Jay assured with a wink and opened
the driver’s side door and helped Megan climb in.
Blair waved and leaned against the building next to the
door. Jim hadn’t followed. It was time to move on. Jay made it around to the
other side of the truck and climbed in. Megan already had the engine turned
over.
Jim thought hard about Brady’s words as he sulked back
to his own corner of the bar. Of course he loved Blair, but he thought he did
a better job of hiding it than that. Obviously not if Brady and Stahl
were on to him. He knew they couldn’t be together, not like that. He
had to keep Blair at a safe distance to keep him. Jim never had a relationship
in his life that he didn’t screw up; he couldn’t take the final step with
Blair because if he did, he was sure he would lose him for good. Every time
things got too cozy, he pushed Blair away, maintaining a safe distance, a
status quo. Which would be fine, except Brady kept drifting into the equation
to fill up the empty space.
At five to one Jim’s attention was drawn back to the
other side of the bar as Brady got up, hugged Jerry, and made his way to the
door. And just when the hell had that little partnership sprung up? Like
either one of the men weren’t pain enough in Jim’s butt individually, now
they had formed an alliance of sorts; sitting around drinking tequila and
talking about Blair. At least he assumed that’s what they’d been talking
about. The bar was smoky and loud, and he hadn’t wasted too much effort to
eavesdrop.
Blair had already stepped outside, under the guise of
walking Megan to her car. Only Jim had seen her arrive in a taxi hours
earlier. Besides, Jim had read the note; Blair’s invitation to Brady to join
him in a private celebration. He fought the urge to interfere and maybe knock
that ever-present grin off Jay’s face once and for all. But Jerry was right.
He didn’t have the right to choose who Blair loved, and he wouldn’t ruin
this night for Blair. No matter what it cost him personally. He’d already
put him through enough.
Brady stopped at the door and stared back at him.
Instead of the gloat that he would have expected, Jim saw something else on
the handsome face. Pity, but that wasn’t all. Jim clenched his jaw and
looked away, unable to abide the compassion in the brown eyes. When he raised
his eyes again, Brady was gone and the door was swinging shut. He glanced over
at Jerry who now stood at the rail overlooking the dance floor. His lips were
moving and Jim made the effort to hear what he was saying.
“You’re an idiot, Ellison,” Jerry stated simply,
shaking his head. “If you don’t go after him, you may just lose him for
good this time.”
With a startling epiphany Jim realized that Jerry was on
his side. So was Jay. They’d set him up, and he had fallen for it. Hope
flooded him. Somehow he knew that Blair was waiting right outside that door.
But he wouldn’t wait for long. Before he finished the thought his feet were
moving. He pushed out through the door and stood in the doorway and stared,
his mouth dropping open, his newfound hope shattered.
As the taillights of Brady’s big truck winked out
behind the trees beyond the parking lot, Jim verified that there were two
people in the cab. That was all he needed to know. He’d made his decision
only minutes too late, because he knew in his heart that Blair would have
chosen him over Brady. And Brady would have bowed out gracefully for once. He
hung his head, immobile in his grief for what he had lost.
“You got my note.”
His head shot up as he swung around. “Blair,” came
unbidden from his lips.
“You’re late.”
“I know,” Jim stammered with relief. “I’m so
sorry.”
Blair shrugged nonchalantly, but failed to keep a grin
from his face. “Just don’t let it happen again.”
“No,” Jim corrected, moving closer. “I’m sorry
for pushing you away again.”
“Like I said, don’t let it happen again,” Blair
repeated, his eyes full of hope.
“I won’t,” Jim swore softly as he pulled the
shorter man into an intimate embrace. They held on for several minutes before
either spoke, drawing strength from each other. “So what did I get you for
graduation?” Jim asked at last in a voice husky with anticipation.
“A palm pilot, remember? And a high speed PC, and a CD
player for the car. What else?” Blair teased. “Oh yeah that cool herb
garden thing for the balcony. Guilt is so great.”
Jim laughed and squeezed even harder, pressing his lips
to the top of Blair’s head. “No, I mean the special gift that I’m
supposed to give you when we get home.”
“Oh that,” Blair breathed silkily. “I’m thinking
about a new application of the tequila technique.”
“Tequila technique?”
“Yeah, you know. Lick, slam, suck.”
