Some people manage to capture your imagination without even trying. Jay finished hooking up the tap to the new keg, looked up, and saw a new customer walk in. He nicknamed him Handsome Stranger--Handsome for short--right then. To be frank, the guy wasn't traditionally good looking, not like a model or a movie star, but he had character by the bucketload. A certain world-weariness had etched itself into his features--like someone who'd been around the block a few times and had a tough hide to show for it. He wore a white dress shirt and dark slacks, but his movements were too precise and sharp for him to be another office drone. Plus Handsome had sexy long sideburns that reminded Jay of Colin Firth in some costume drama he'd seen on TV. It's safe to say Jay was attracted to the guy right away.

At first sight on a weekday Slugger would've seemed like a neighborhood dive bar to any stranger stumbling in. Neon beer signs brightened the modest space, and the bar mirrors and TV screen showing CNN Sports completed the illusion. Even though it was barely past noon a couple of barflies already perched on the barstools like roosters on fence posts. Of course, any stranger would soon spot the odd bits--like the fact that one of the regulars, Larry, wore four-inch fuck-me pumps with his blue jeans and a white button-down. If you somehow missed that, the second TV playing gay porn would be a dead giveaway you weren't in Kansas anymore. Some newcomers turned tail and fled at that point.

This particular stranger paused right inside the entrance. He squinted, as most customers did after stepping from the bright L.A. sun into the permanent twilight of Slugger. He glanced at the TV, but the sight of two naked men bonking like rabbits didn't send him scrambling for the door. Instead he strolled to the bar, parked his ass, and asked for a club soda.

Part of Slugger's usual clientele consisted of gay men too middle-aged or unhip for The Abbey and other fashionable West Hollywood clubs. The rest were people of all genders and sexual persuasions from the surrounding working middle class neighborhood, who didn't mind hanging out in a gay bar as long as the drinks were strong and cheap.

Jay poured the bubbly water in a glass and set it in front of Handsome. "Now don't go wild on me," he said and winked.

Jay had a teasing tone with customers out of habit, the gay ones anyway. They appreciated a twenty-something, good-looking blond like him flirting with them, and it showed in the tips. Rarely had anyone ever taken it seriously, and if they did, Jay diverted their attentions without ruffling too many feathers. He had a policy of not mixing business with pleasure, but he'd happily make an exception for Handsome. It was those sideburns.

For a flash, Handsome's gaze swept over Jay's body and face as if he was seriously considering his options. "No drinking on the job," he said.