On a whim, Alex signs up to volunteer with an outreach program at a local youth shelter. When Father Nate calls him and asks him to work with Jamie as a big brother, Alex envisions a little kid he'll pal around with. What he doesn't expect is Jamie Owens, an 18 year old boy with a bad attitude who's only two years younger than Alex himself.<br><br>Jamie's hot. Very hot, and nervy, and precocious, and damn sexy, to boot. Even if he is eighteen, Alex feels guilty lusting after the kid. Alex sees himself as a mentor to Jamie, someone to look up to, someone to prove being a gay man doesn't mean casual sex in crowded clubs. He tries to keep his distance, both physically and emotionally, but Alex is sending some very mixed signals, and Jamie is getting pretty frustrated. As their friendship grows, Jamie becomes a part of Alex's life in a way neither expects.

Conflict of Interest

Stop it. You can talk about what you could have done all day long,


but it won’t make him come back any sooner. He’s just scared. For


the first time someone’s being nice to him without wanting


something in return and it terrifies the hell out of him. Just give


him some time, please. Be there for him and he’ll come around, I


Give him some time… Alex wondered how Jamie needed. What did he


do in those clubs? Sex, drugs, alcohol…enough shit like that and he


won’t have any time left. I’ll be waiting to help him and he’ll be


too far gone, overdose one night or get shot or die of AIDS, and


I’ll be left wondering just how much time was too much. How long is


“Tell him to call me the minute he gets in,” Alex said,


giving Father Nate the number to his cell phone. “Tell him I expect


By two Alex’s phone hadn’t rung, and he told Saundra he couldn’t


stay at the studio any longer. “I have to go,” he said. He didn’t


Chapter 16