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said goodnight to Cody and the others, shut the taxi
     
door, and said, “You’re not working a regular nine-to-five job anymore. Tonight was
     
business. The rules are different now. Welcome to show business.”
     
Rush smiled and gave him a coy look. “But I didn’t know it was business. I
     
thought I was just going out with a friend to see a nightclub act and have fun.”
     
The taxi pulled away from the curb and Lance put his palm on Rush’s back.
     
“That’s just a silly technicality,” he said. “I should know. I’m your boss. I promise you
     
won’t get into trouble if you’re a few minutes late in the morning.”
     
The weather was warmer than usual for that time of year, so Lance suggested they
     
walk through SoHo for a while. Rush agreed; he wanted to get to know Lance better.
     
Though they’d only just met, he felt as if he’d met him before.
     
They walked slowly, lingering in front of expensive shops and tony boutiques.
     
When they passed a men’s clothing store with a trendy name, Rush looked into the front
     
window and stared at a mannequin wearing tight leather pants with a two-inch zipper. He
     
smiled and said, “Now that I’m in New York, I’m thinking about changing my image a
     
little. I’m always so conservative. I’d like to have a few pairs of pants like that. I dress
     
like I’m still in small New England town.” Lance lifted his eyebrows and said, “Absolutely not. Don’t change a thing about
     
yourself. Your simple, easy look is what’s most appealing about you. You don’t need
     
outrageous, trendy clothes. Things like that are for average men who can’t get attention
     
any other way. All you need is a white T-shirt and a pair of old jeans to look wonderful.”
     
Rush stared into the window and smiled. No one had ever paid him a nicer
     
compliment, and no one had ever spoken to him with a silkier voice. He could see
     
Lance’s reflection in the glass. Lance was staring at the back of his neck, biting his
     
bottom lip. Rush wanted to lean back and rest against his strong chest. He assumed there
     
must have been a ten-year age difference between them. But he didn’t want to ask,
     
because age didn’t really matter to him.
     
On the next block, they passed a small bookstore and Rush smiled at the window.
     
There was a book on display all by itself, with two attractive young men wearing white
     
suits on the cover. The men were standing before an altar, staring into each other’s eyes,
     
exchanging wedding vows. There were two intertwined gold wedding bands at the top of
     
the book cover. The title of the book was The Glass Ceiling. Rush sighed and said, “I’m
     
not very political and I’ve never been an activist about anything, but it’s nice to see books
     
like that in the front windows of bookshops, on display for the entire world to see. I think
     
I’m going to come back and buy that book this week.”
     
Lance placed his palm on Rush’s back and said, “I’m not political either, but it is
     
nice to see. Guys like us have come a long way.”
     
“Have you ever thought about getting married?” Rush asked. His voice was soft
     
and light. He wasn’t probing for information. It was just a general question. “I’m afraid not,” Lance said. “I’m like being single. I’m very happy with my life,
     
and I know what I want. I don’t see myself ever settling down with one man like those
     
guys on the cover of that book.”
     
Rush smiled. “You’re lucky. I wish I could be as certain about my life as you are
     
about yours. I don’t have the slightest clue what I want or where I want to be.”
     
Lance lowered his hand and rested it on Rush’s hip. He pulled Rush into his side
     
and asked, “Is there someone else back in New England?”
     
Rush smiled and stepped away from the window. He started walking again.
     
“There was someone up until recently. But for some reason I can’t