Gordon Phillips

Garner working as a waiter at an upscale restaurant with a growing attraction to a man named Alonzo, who always asks to be put in his section for dinner. One night after work, the man is assaulted while trailing Garner. Garner goes to his aid, but is shot for his trouble.<br><br>Taking time off from work to recover, Garner is resting on a park bench when Alonzo suddenly appears at the other end of the bench. Garner never saw him approach. He asks why Alonzo is trailing him.<br><br>After some hesitation, Alonzo explains he wants to recruit Garner to help fight against others who systematically hunt people like himself. Garner isn’t inclined to get involved in anything dangerous, but he does finds Alonzo more and more attractive, so he agrees to consider the idea. As he learns more about Alonzo’s bizarre and dangerous subculture, what Garner really wants to know is whether Alonzo is romantically interested in him at all.

Call to Love

“Yes, of course!” she said impatiently. “I toldyou. And it has takenall of us too.” When Garner looked abashed at this, she squeezed his right arm. “It’s not a problem, okay? Not for one night. Like I said, you’re part of the team, you’re liked by everyone.”


“Well, that’s different. It’s his jobto see that Mario’s runs smoothly. He can’t be too indulgent.”


“Oh, I’ve got someone at table sixteen.”


After closing, when they were both standing outside, Sharon again expressed her belief that Garner maybe should take a second day off.


“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I’ll be in better shape tomorrow.”


She looked him up and down, and snorted.


Sharon shook her head. “Spending too much money on those books of yours.”


“Well, I mean, that’s pretty much it,” he replied. “Books, rent and food.”


Smiling slightly, Sharon poked him gently in the belly.


Chapter 27