Read Online Alex & Clayton by John Simpson - Free Book Online Page B

one with the title Murder Most Gay . Alex laughed. Eh, once a cop, always a cop .
    He put his purchases down on the counter and Clay rang them up.
    Clay was very conscious of the sheer animal sexuality of his first customer. “That’ll be thirty-eight fifty please,” he said, looking at the man’s face as Alex dug out his wallet. “You don’t look old enough to have retired, if you don’t mind me saying that,” Clay said cautiously.
    Alex smiled at Clay. “Why should I mind you telling me I look young? I hope that’s always people’s reaction to me. I worked law enforcement in a department that allows retirement after only twenty years. So when I was ready, I pulled the pin, and here I am, far from where I was and quite happy about it.”
    “Ah, that explains your choice of books to read,” Clay said with a chuckle.
    “Yeah, well, I like to see if authors know what they’re writing about.”
    “Here’s your change, and thank you very much. You’re my first customer, and as custom dictates, I will frame one of the dollar bills you just gave me and put it up on the wall. It represents the first buck this place made for me,” Clay said, all smiles.
    “Well, thanks for reopening the store. I’ll be a steady customer for you. I love to read and didn’t have any time to do it while I had a career. I’ve a lot of catching up to do.”
    “You’re welcome. Since we’re both permanent residents here, maybe I’ll see you around town,” Clay said, with a little hope in his voice.
    “Very possible!”
    Alex waved and left the shop, happy that he had some new reading material. He also found that he was mildly attracted to the owner of the bookstore. As he walked home, he wondered if he should have asked him out to dinner that evening but decided that would have been rather forward at their first meeting. He didn’t want the bookstore owner to think he was the sort who would pick up anyone simply because it was off-season and the pickings were slim. He was sure he was going to ask the book man out, but at a better time.
     
     
    T HE first day of business saw over thirty local people visit the bookshop, all of whom were gay. His sales were good, and when he closed for the day, he still had a smile on his face. He counted out his proceeds, made up a deposit slip, set the alarm, and closed up. He made the short drive to the local bank where he used the night drop and smiled once more. It was a day of firsts, which included the first time he talked to the very good-looking guy he had seen in the grocery store. A retired cop! Dating a cop had always been a fantasy of Clayton’s, but one he never believed would happen in the real world. In fact, except for a few seedy meetings on the seamier side of town, Clayton’s love life slept in the world of fantasy, and he firmly believed none of it would ever come to pass.
    He was as frightened as a man as he had been as a boy about people discovering his sexuality. For him to actually open a gay bookstore was so far out of character, and it had taken the death of his beloved mother to give him the impetus to take such a bold step. Surely most people would assume that the owner of a gay bookstore was gay.
    The big question was: could he possibly learn to socialize comfortably with members of the gay community? He knew he couldn’t get up the courage to ask someone out, but maybe he would be found attractive. Certainly by no one like the sexy retired cop who was just in the store, but someone more like himself, mature, pleasant-looking, and in decent shape. He smiled when he thought about how much fun it would be to go on a real date, to dinner, a movie, and whatever happened in the car afterward.
    “Well, if it’s going to happen anywhere, Rehoboth Beach in the summer should do it!” he said as he made his way home.
     
     
    T HREE weeks later, on a rather unpleasant morning with mist rolling in from the ocean and casting a general gloom over the town, Alex realized he