Beckett giggled—whether out of nerves or because Noah was ridiculously jolly about the whole thing, he didn’t know—and took a step forward. He cleared his throat again as he did, then tugged at the hem of his jacket. Noah had been through his wardrobe that morning and chosen the outfit himself, complete with the bright red tie that signified what he was and, as Noah had explained, what he wanted from Graham.
Beckett hoped it wasn’t too much. Graham glanced up warily, perhaps with a bit of a sigh, as Beckett came nearer, almost as if he’d been waiting for the moment to come for the past half hour. The tie was probably a bad idea, if Graham felt as suspicious about him as that.
“Good afternoon, Graham,” Beckett said, taking a seat at the bar, directly in front of Graham. “It’s quite a pleasant afternoon, isn’t it? The Slide seems very happy today.”
He’d rehearsed the words with Noah in the practice scenario they’d run through.
Unlike that scenario, in which he and Noah, pretending to be Graham, had proceeded to have a lovely chat about the weather, Graham sighed, rested his weight on his hands against the bar, and asked, “What do you want, Beckett?”
Beckett swallowed hard, fighting the urge to give up and run away. He peeked down the bar to Noah, who sent him an encouraging smile and gestured for him to go on. Bolstered again, Beckett smiled and said, “I’ve had an idea for an event that might bring in more customers to The Slippery Slope.”
For a long moment, Graham just stared at him. “You have,” he said, not so much as a question intended to lead to an explanation as a statement of something he might regret.
“Yes,” Beckett said unsteadily.
He looked back to Noah for half a second, then made up his mind to be bold and to get everything he wanted. After all, if Noah could leave his entire life behind to sail across the ocean to win Marcus back, Beckett could have a conversation about an idea that would benefit the club.
“Halloween is coming up,” he started, similarly to how he and Noah had practiced. “And it occurred to me that we here at The Slope could make an event of it the way I hear some of high society uptown plans to.”
“Of Halloween.” Again, Graham’s voice held no emotion, and his expression was discouraging.
Beckett wriggled on his bar stool and reminded himself that he was a man, not a boy, and that he had brilliant ideas and a friend to back them up.
Even if the action reminded him he was wearing ladies’ underthings.
He took a breath and said, “I thought we could combine The Slope’s new reputation for monthly balls with the holiday and hold a masquerade ball with a specific theme of Halloween. It would give everyone in the club a chance to dress up without the police being at all suspicious of our activity. The habit of dressing up for Halloween has been picking up steam these last few years, and yes, it has mostly been children who do the Halloweening, but why not us as well? I’m certain it would bring in quite a lot of new business for The Slope, and our regulars would have a grand time of it too.”
Graham remained silent, just blinking at Beckett once he finished explaining.
Beckett found the whole thing unnerving, so he rushed on with, “I care about the club, you see. Like so many others, The Slope is my home away from home. It’s more of a home, even, because I can be myself here. I can express who I truly am.” He rested his hands on the bar, not that far from where Graham’s hands gripped the edge. “I want to see The Slippery Slope flourish and grow. I want to see your business endeavors take wing and fly, and make a profit, while they’re at it.”
He inched his right hand closer to Graham’s.
Graham didn’t move away. Beckett wasn’t certain he’d seen the gesture.
Finally, Graham said something. “This lot does like to dress up,” he said, his gaze focused on something behind Beckett’s shoulder. Beckett was tempted to turn to see what it was, but he didn’t dare pull his eyes away from Graham. “And the balls have turned out to be quite a draw in the end. Who would have imagined?”
“No one, I suppose.” Beckett laughed nervously, then slid his hand even closer to Graham’s. He was so close to touching him that it made his breath come in shallow pants.
“Anything new and unusual is a draw,” Graham continued, glancing around the large room. “I’m sure Jasper would have ideas for decorations to fit the theme as well.”
Beckett’s face flushed at the mention of Jasper. Jasper Werther was the fly in the ointment of his and Noah’s plans. As much as Beckett wanted Noah to win his prize in the end, he also liked Jasper. It had been easier not to think about him at all when he was around Noah.
“I think Ricky would enjoy coming up with decorations too,” he rushed to say. “Considering he’d an artist.”
Graham grunted and nodded, still looking around the club. Beckett took the opportunity to stretch his fingers toward Graham’s hand, intent on making contact.
At the last minute, Graham pulled away and crossed his arms. “Alright, a Halloween ball it is.”
Beckett’s eyes went wide. “You mean, you like my idea?” His heart could hardly contain itself in his chest.
“Yeah,” Graham said with a shrug. “You’re right. It will bring customers in.”
“I’d be more than happy to help you plan it,” Beckett rushed on to the second part of the plan as he and Noah had practiced it. It was by far the more important part. “I’m willing to spend extra hours at the club to help you in any way I can. We could…we could discuss ideas for decorations and costumes, and even for refreshments. Together. You and I.”
The thoughtful, even enthusiastic look Graham had fallen into while thinking about the ball shifted back to a tired, irritated look. “No,” he said.
Beckett waited for him to elaborate, but he didn’t. “No?” he asked, hoping to prompt Graham to say more.