Free Alex & Clayton by John Simpson

had read everything he had bought on his first trip to Clayton’s Rainbow. He smiled when he thought of the name, and he felt a slight stirring in his pants when he thought about the owner of that gaily named bookstore. He didn’t feel like running in the fog, or going to a local gym he’d joined, so he decided it was the perfect time to visit the bookstore for more reading material.
    It wasn’t raining, so Alex walked to the store and found he wasn’t the only customer this time. A couple of other people were looking around, and Alex moved past them until he could see Clay behind the counter. They smiled at each other as Alex headed toward the “cop section” of gay stories. He decided to get four books and no magazines. He actually liked reading the books more than looking at pictures of guys who—while hot—all looked the same, with the same everything. He became bored with them very quickly.
    As he picked out a couple of cop books, he also looked for spy novel-type stuff and after a few minutes, decided that the store had far more stock than on his first visit. Alex estimated that there were at least three hundred books on display, and he felt like a kid in a candy shop.
    Clayton rang up the other two customers, and they left, leaving him alone with Alex.
    “Good morning. Nice to see you back!”
    “Hi, Clay, had to pick up some more reading material. Am I wrong, or have you added about a hundred books to what you had when you opened?”
    “You do pay attention, don’t you? Yes, I expanded the stock to include more genres within the gay fiction line. That book you’ve picked out, The Last Battalion , that’s from a publisher that I hadn’t carried upon opening, but I found they have a wonderful line of spy novels and such. So, now I sell their books too!”
    “If you keep it up, you’re gonna make me very happy,” Alex said, throwing out a double entendre that didn’t get caught.
    “Well, that’s my aim: to keep the customer happy. It’s what will keep me in business, especially in the off-season.”
    Alex put the books on the counter and quickly looked toward the door to see if anyone was approaching before he spoke.
    “Listen, Clay, I was thinking. We’re both new in town and all that, and you seem to be a pretty neat guy. I’d like to go out on a date with you. Would you like to come to my house for dinner, and we can watch a movie afterward?” Alex asked with his engaging smile in evidence.
    Clay was taken aback. Had he heard correctly? “Excuse me? Did you just ask me out on a date?” he asked sheepishly.
    “Sure did. Unless of course you’ve got a man, which wouldn’t surprise me, as good-looking as you are.”
    “A man? Oh, no, no. I’m quite single. Ah, yes, I’d be delighted to come over for dinner. That’s very kind of you.”
    “Great! Let’s see. You’re not open on Sunday, right?” Alex asked.
    “Not during the off-season, no. I’m not sure yet about high season.”
    “Good, how about this Saturday night then? You won’t have to get up early to be here at the store, so we won’t have to watch the clock. I’ll cook dinner. What’s your favorite?”
    “Saturday is fine. Please don’t go through any trouble on my account, though. Anything you make will be fine with me, sir.”
    “Okay, Clay, but if you call me sir once more, I’m gonna take you over my knee and spank you! Hear me?”
    “Sorry, it’s a habit. Can I bring anything?”
    “Yes, you can bring a bottle of wine, but it’s not mandatory. It’s only to satisfy that social thing about having to bring something.”
    “Red or white?”
    “See! Social convention always brings problems with it. Tell you what, you decide. I’m not one for worrying about what kind of wine goes with what I’m cooking. If it’s red meat and you bring a white wine, so be it!”
    “Okay then, I look forward to it. What time?”
    Alex took a piece of notepaper off of the counter and wrote down his address and the time