AFTER OUR run, Kage gave me a lingering kiss just inside the doorway of the Alcazar, heedless of the group of guests pushing their way past us and out onto the sidewalk. It felt amazing to be open with him now. To be out.

There were no doubts in my mind anymore. No worries about what people would think if they knew we were lovers. Even the occasional gay slur left on my blog or Twitter account just rolled off my back.

My feelings for Kage eclipsed such petty concerns to the degree that I wondered how I had ever cared in the first place. These days I was like a geek who had somehow landed a supermodel girlfriend. I wanted to flaunt my man, and for people to look at me and think how lucky I was to have such a sexy beast to hang onto at night.

It was true. I was the luckiest guy in world.

Steve waved us over as we passed the front desk. I slowed and changed direction and headed over to get my morning fix of mindless chatter, but Kage kept moving toward the elevators.

“Gotta get dressed for work,” he called over his shoulder. “Jamie, don’t keep Steve chatting all day. He’s got work to do.”

“Yes, Mr. Santori,” I said, winking at Steve.

“He’s such a crabby boss,” Steve said. “I thought he was bad when he was a pissed-off fighter, but this is much worse. Can’t you do something about that? Give him a little extra something in the bedroom? A good blowjob could work wonders for his mood, which would in turn benefit all of us.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m not getting the job done?” I asked, genuinely offended.

“That is exactly what I’m suggesting. You need to take one for the team. Do your part to improve office morale.”

“For your information, I do my part, and I do it gladly. But no amount of sex is going to help Kage right now. He has a lot of stress, and I can’t figure out exactly what’s causing it. Does it seem like he’s working extra hard around here or coming up against problems he can’t find solutions to?”

“What do you mean?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know exactly. Something seems to be bothering him, but I haven’t really seen any reason for it. He doesn’t complain about anything in particular.”

“Maybe you’re just imagining it,” Steve suggested. “Remember what we talked about at the party? You could just be feeling jealousy and irritation because Kage doesn’t have as much time for you lately. Have you talked to him about it? If not, maybe you should.”

I leaned my elbows on the desk and sighed. “I’ve actually considered that, but I don’t think that’s what it is. At least not that alone. I haven’t talked to him about it, because I really think I’ve come to terms with that. Yeah, I still feel jealous or left out sometimes, but I’m sure there is something else. I asked him to see a therapist.”

Steve whistled. “I’ll bet that went over like a lead balloon.”

“Worse. But you just said yourself that he’s been crabby lately. What do you think could be causing it? And before you answer, just know I am well aware that you are the self-proclaimed gossip queen around these parts. Don’t even try to deny it.”

“I would never deny that.” Steve sank into deep thought, drumming on the desk with a fresh lavender manicure.

“I like that color,” I said absently. “Much better than the peach you’ve been obsessed with for the last month.”

Steve admired his own fingers as he held them out to me. “Thank you,” he said. “I think it works well with my skin tone. This group of college girls went so crazy over it earlier I had to write down the brand and color for them. I imagine it will be all the rage at the University of Oregon come fall.”

“Congratulations on being a fashion icon in Oregon. Don’t expect me to be wearing it anytime soon. I’m just relieved you’re wearing a different color. Maybe someday I’ll be able to eat a peach without thinking of you.”

Steve shrugged and pulled his hands back. “Anyway, back to Kage. I can’t imagine what could have him in such a state. Everything seems normal around here. Some of the staff were a little snippy with him in the beginning. But then he started wearing a suit, and he let them know he wasn’t taking any shit from them. I guess they thought if they acted out enough he’d get bored and back off. They’re not used to someone actually paying attention to what they’re doing. Peter Santori was too busy and had too much of a God complex to ever bother with us lowly employees, but Kage doesn’t mind climbing down from his throne and communing with the masses.”

“Why do you think some of the employees had a problem with him? Do you know anything specific?”

“Oh, just business office stuff. He was asking a lot of questions about the casino manager. He probably thought he was stealing or letting people cheat.”

“Maybe he was,” I suggested.

“Maybe, but he’s still here. I don’t think Kage would ever permit stealing.”

I laughed. “I hate to be the one to inform you, but my boyfriend’s moral compass is not as North-facing as you might think.”

Steve laughed even harder than I had. “His compass isn’t north-facing? Please tell me that is not a veiled reference to your sex life. I would be so disappointed.”

“Not even close.”

“Do you have visual proof of that?” he asked with a straight face. “I may need to be convinced.”

“Actually, I have a video of Kage introducing me to the gay way. We could have a private screening in the penthouse with just you, me, and Kage. Drink a little tequila. Do you prefer flavored condoms or regular?”

Steve stared at me, his eyes bugging out of his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but what came out was a jumbled up string of mismatched vowels and consonants.

I gave him a smug smile, feeling proud of myself. “I can’t believe it. I’ve managed to render the biggest mouth in town speechless.”

Steve finally managed to form a thought into words. “I know you’re teasing me, you little shit.”

“Of course I’m teasing you. If you ever see Kage’s naked body, it’ll be because of some freak accident, not because I let you.”

“But is there really a video?”

“Yes, there is a video.”

Steve walked his fingers across the surface of the desk, all the way to where I had my hand resting, and touched my pinky lightly with his. He looked up at me through his lashes, like a girl who wanted something.

“Can I see it? I promise I won’t tell.”

I pulled my hand away. “Your wiles won’t work on me, Steve. There’s no way you’re getting anywhere near that video.”

He stood up straight and stalked away, toward the wall that backed the front desk area. Then he whirled on me.

“I can’t believe you did that to me. You didn’t have to tell me about the video, you just did it to mess with my head. You knew I would never be able to resist.”

I laughed. “I do know you pretty well, Steve.”

“Then you know that every time I look at either of you from now on, all I’ll be able to think about is that damn video. You are truly a cruel person. I thought you would be a good influence on Kage, but I think the opposite has happened. He’s made a monster of you.”

“Okay, fine,” I said with a sigh. “You can see the video.”

Steve’s face brightened, and a smile overtook his delicate features. “Really?”

“No, not really!”

Steve crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. “Leave. Right now, before I’m tempted to claw your eyes out.”

I held my hands up in surrender and backed away from the desk with a smile. “I’ll talk to you later after you’ve calmed down. Are we still on for tonight?”

“Netflix, eight o’clock, penthouse,” he said grudgingly. Then under his breath, “Maybe you’ll surprise me with a last-minute change of programming.”

I chuckled as I turned and made my way to the elevator, knowing he wasn’t going to let the video conversation rest for a long time, if ever. He was so fun to rile up.

I stepped onto the elevator, but just as the doors were about to close, I saw a man sprinting to catch it, so I held the door. He was pulling a large suitcase in each hand, one with a smaller suitcase teetering on top of it. His head was canted at a near ninety-degree angle as he struggled to keep a cell phone sandwiched between his ear and shoulder. The suitcases rocked back and forth on their wheels, and I could foresee a crash in the near future.

He fumbled with his load like a juggling circus clown, and his startling appearance furthered the illusion. Unkempt brown hair framed a refined set of facial features, and bright blue eyes darted frantically behind a pair of tortoiseshell glasses as he struggled. His button-up shirt, which featured a colorful pattern of Koi fish, did not match his seventies-style plaid slacks in the least. He was bright, giving off an energetic vibe that was impossible to ignore.

There were no porters in sight, so as he started across the threshold, I reached out and relieved him of the large suitcase with the smaller one balanced on top. He shot me a grateful look.

“We need to continue working through his fear of success,” he said into his phone as the doors slid closed. He ran his free hand through his wild curls and cracked his neck. “I believe his recent inability to finish a painting is directly related to the pressure of finally getting a sponsor, and if he won’t let me help him, he’s going to crash and burn.” He paused, listening to a voice on the other end of the line. “That’s not unusual. Many people try to quit when they feel themselves coming close to a breakthrough. Just get him to our next session, even if you have to drag him kicking and screaming.”

The elevator stopped on the man’s floor, and the doors slid open. By this time I was fascinated with his conversation, so I motioned for him to go, and I followed with the two suitcases.

He gave another appreciative glance and mouthed a quick thank you. Halfway down the hall, he said, “I can help him. Just trust me and get him to the session.” He clicked off and shoved his phone into a pocket, then turned to me.

“Thank you so much,” he said. “I really need to invest in a bluetooth headset. What’s your name?”

“Jamie,” I said. “So you’re doing therapy with some guy to work through his fear of success?”

“Yeah. I hate to see people hurting themselves for no reason. This man is a great artist, but all of a sudden he just started floundering. No problem, though. If he’ll come talk to me, I can help him.”

The guy stopped in front of a door, pulled out a key card, and cracked open his freshly cleaned hotel room. “Thanks again for helping me out. I’m speaking for the largest crowd I’ve ever had, and I’m afraid I brought too many suit options. I usually pack lighter.”

“No problem. I was really kind of wanting to talk you about something.”

“Yeah?” His blue eyes widened.

“My boyfriend has been having some issues. I’ve tried to talk him into seeing someone, but he’s stubborn. When I overheard you on the phone, I just thought maybe you could help. And maybe it was fate. What are the chances that we would meet on an elevator just minutes after I had the therapy talk with my boyfriend? Weird, right?”

“So you believe in signs?” he asked, his eyes dancing behind his glasses.

“Sure, why not?”

He pushed the door open wider. “Would you like to come inside and tell me a little bit about your boyfriend’s problem? I can probably help, but I need to know what I’d be dealing with.”

I followed him inside, deposited his suitcases near the closet, and took one of two chairs near the window.

“He has a troubled past, to say the least, but I think he is pretty normal considering all he’s been through. It’s just that there has been a lot of drama lately. The uncle who raised him died recently.” I paused here, feeling the guilt wash over me about what I was leaving unsaid. “My boyfriend inherited his uncle’s fortune and a business to run, and it seems like everything is getting to him. He’s got a lot of stress on him right now, and I can tell something is off with him. He denies it, of course, but I can feel it.”

The man sat down in the chair opposite me and handed me a tie-dyed business card, at which I stifled a laugh.

“My name is Mason Key,” he said. “I would be glad to talk to your boyfriend. Is he staying here with you now? If not, a phone consultation would be fine.”

“Oh, I’m not staying here,” I said. “I live here.”

“In the hotel?” he asked, surprised.

“Yes. I suppose I should clarify a couple of things. I live upstairs in the penthouse with my boyfriend, who owns this hotel. I don’t know how long you’re staying in Vegas, but if you could talk to him in person, that would be great.”

“Sure, I’ll meet with him. You have my card. Just give me a call after you talk to your boyfriend, and we’ll set up a time.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. That had been easy enough. Now it was just a matter of getting Kage to cooperate.