“Yes, it is,” Brendan said, still eyeing Noah as though he were a lit fuse. He glanced to Beckett and asked, “So where do you want this hung?”
Beckett glanced around at the half-decorated club. The ball was that evening, and already they had the large dance hall-like space of the club festooned as though for a particularly exciting funeral. Black gauze and crepe paper rosettes had been fastened to the stage, various sorts of pumpkins and harvest fruits had been brought in to fashion table decorations from, and someone had concocted the idea of using loose knitting wool to resemble cobwebs. By the time The Slippery Slope opened its doors for patrons, the place would look magnificent and spooky.
“Ricky will know where to hang them,” Beckett said, nodding to Ricky DeMarco, who stood on a ladder held by his beau, Alonzo Russo, fastening lengths of clothesline to a hook in the center of the ceiling so that they could hang more decorations.
“I’ll ask him,” Brendan said, turning to step away. He gave Noah an uncertain look as he went.
“He’s a bit of an odd fellow,” Noah said, watching Brendan’s retreating back. “Who is he and what does he have to do with the club again?” he asked, trying to tamp down the slightly wild protective emotions that pulsed through him.
Beckett had gone back to pulling various rubber bats and spiders from the box on the table. “Brendan is one of The Five,” he explained. “They’ve spent most of the year coming up with an idea for a business. Graham and Alonzo have allowed them to use The Slope as their headquarters, since it saves them money on finding a storefront or other premises.”
“What sort of business?” Noah asked, reaching into the box to help Beckett unload it. He was supposed to be piecing together rosettes, but he found that he would much rather be by his friend’s side, helping with whatever Beckett needed, and searching for opportunities for Beckett to get what he wanted.
“Well, as you know, there are quite a few men in New York City who have recently made fortunes,” Beckett explained with a relaxed smile as they took their load of vermin to the stage and began to hang them from a line that had been strung against the backdrop. “And you heard about everything Aurora had to go through to get her invitation to Mrs. Livingston’s ball.”
“Yes, indeed,” Noah said. He hadn’t only gotten to know Beckett better in the last two weeks of living in the man’s house, he’d become better acquainted with Mr. Smith and Aurora as well. Noah had celebrated with Aurora when she’d finally secured her invitation to the ball, which she’d managed by following the advice he’d given her. She’d entertained Mrs. Livingston’s young daughter on an outing in Central Park and reaped the benefits nicely.
“The Five have a plan to offer their services to new money wishing to integrate themselves into high society,” Beckett went on as Noah worked by his side. “I think it was Elliott’s idea originally, but all five of them are such good friends. Duncan and Brendan are brothers. Their aim is to consult with clients on matters of dress and grooming, outfitting their homes, learning about culture and any sort of educational gaps they may have, and instruction on table manners and how to either be a guest at fancy dinner parties or how to throw them.”
“That sounds like a capital idea,” Noah said, smiling at the enthusiasm with which Beckett spoke of his friends’ endeavor.
Beckett was in a good mood as a rule, but he seemed to be even happier when speaking about his friends or doing something like decorating The Slope. Something about it brought a healthy glow to his complexion and made his eyes shine with goodness. Beckett was in his shirtsleeves as they decorated, as were they all, which gave Noah a fine view of the lean muscles of his arms and the strength in his back.
Noah shook his head inwardly. Beckett truly was a fine specimen of masculinity, even though he wasn’t burly or tough, like the sailors who visited the club. He had a refined sensuality that Noah liked. It made absolutely no sense at all to him that Graham Ravenswood would continue to push such a good man away.
“Is something the matter?” Beckett asked.
Noah realized with a jolt that he’d been staring at Beckett’s body as his friend had continued to explain something about The Five’s business. He shook his head and said, “No, I was just wondering whether….” He scrambled for something he might have been wondering about. “Whether The Five will be offering their services to anyone who needs them or if they will limit it to all the new industrialists and men of great means in the city.”
Beckett shrugged and answered, “I suppose it depends on how much they want to charge for their services and who might be able to pay that price.” He spoke as if he hadn’t noticed Noah staring.
Which was for the best, after all. Noah had no right to stare appreciatively at a man whose heart belonged to someone else.
And speaking of that someone else, Ravenswood chose that moment to walk into the club from the back hall.
A wave of strong emotion rushed at Noah, making him dizzy for a moment. He told himself the emotion in question was determination to get Beckett what he wanted, but it didn’t feel like any sort of determination he’d known before. If he were honest with himself, he couldn’t say he thought very highly of a man who would throw Beckett over.
All the same, he leaned very close to Beckett and whispered, “Don’t look now, but your beloved has just entered the room.”
“Graham?” Beckett twisted as if to search for the man.
The movement brought their faces to within an inch of each other, their noses nearly bumping. Noah drew in a long breath, taking in the scent of Beckett’s shaving soap and his skin. It stirred something in him, as did the almost comical closeness, and he grinned widely.
“Perhaps we should kiss to make the man jealous,” he whispered, knowing Beckett could feel his breath on his lips.
Beckett broke into giggles. Noah had come to love Beckett’s giggles over the last two weeks. No man of his acquaintance giggled so freely as Beckett did, even though one could argue it was unbecoming of a man. Whoever made such rules about what men could and could not do was a villain.
“I don’t think Graham would notice,” Beckett said with a sigh, turning back to his work hanging spiders.
Noah felt a deep sense of disappointment and loss. He glanced across the room to where Ravenswood had moved to help Russo hold the ladder that Ricky had climbed up. He wanted to give Beckett the world, which meant giving him Ravenswood.
“I have an idea,” he said, moving toward the edge of the stage.
“What idea?” Beckett asked over his shoulder, arms extended to hang another spider.
Noah ignored him as his mind focused on the plot he was hatching. He climbed off the stage and made his way to the ladder. “I can help here,” he said once he got there, wedging in front of Ravenswood to hold the ladder. “Why don’t you go help Beckett on the stage?” he suggested to the man.
Somehow, in his haste to prompt Ravenswood to go to Beckett, Noah had bumped the ladder he was attempting to hold. Ricky let out a shout at the top and scrambled to grab onto the thing for dear life. Russo made a sound of alarm for his beloved that swiftly turned into a growl for Noah.