“Sorry about that,” Jace said as they spilled out onto the street. “A party full of nosey coworkers wasn’t the best date idea. Where to now? A bar? Or something to eat?”

“Somewhere private.”

Jace forced back a smile. “There’s only one place that I know of. Are you sure?”

“Don’t read into it too much,” Ben said demurely. “I just need some quiet.”

Jace walked him to his car and Ben waited inside while Jace fetched his own. From there they drove to an increasingly unpleasant area of town. The neighborhood beyond the freshly locked car doors was run-down and poorly lit. Several rough-looking people drank and loitered on the sidewalks, some of them setting off fireworks. Ben hoped that this was some bizarre shortcut, but they parked only a few blocks later.

Jace gave him a funny look when Ben stepped out of the car. “You all right?”

“Yeah,” Ben said, slipping on a poker face.

“Hm. Where did you say you were from again?”

“The Woodlands. Why?”

Jace nodded as if that explained everything. “It might not be the prettiest neighborhood, but I’ve never had any trouble here.”

“It’s fine,” Ben insisted. “You should see my place in Chicago.”

A passage through one of the buildings led to a courtyard. Jace unlocked a door to a stairwell and an old-fashioned caged elevator, the sort that Ben had only seen in movies. It rattled loudly as they rode it to the top floor.

“Home sweet home!” Jace unlocked the only door in the tiny corridor. He flipped on a light switch and stepped aside so Ben could enter first.

Lights flickered into life, illuminating a sprawling studio apartment. The floors were hardwood, the walls raw brick. The décor was a mismatch of old furniture and antiques. Vintage advertisements hung on the wall, stewardesses from days gone by beaming above slogans or art deco airplanes. Ben noticed a pinball machine in one corner and a ladder leading up to a loft bed before a grey streak of fur sped across the room.

“Samson!” Jace declared happily as he reached down to pick the cat up. “We have a visitor.”

The cat rubbed its face against Jace’s chin before turning its head to regard Ben with large green eyes.

So this was Sam! That so many people knew of Jace’s cat meant he was one of those crazy cat people who talked about their pets like they were children, but that was preferable to Sam being a hot ex-boyfriend. Ben reached out to pet Samson, but the cat’s head dodged and came back around to smell his hand.

“Security scan initiated,” Jace said in a robotic voice. “Mm-hm. I think you’ve passed. Let’s see about getting you something to eat.”

Samson hopped to the floor and followed Jace to the large kitchen. Ben watched the cat being served a plate of canned food while taking in as many of the other details as possible. There was an inordinate number of paper fortunes lying around, implying that Jace liked Chinese takeout. He also enjoyed cooking, judging from the well-equipped kitchen.

Ben strolled back into the living area and headed for the bookshelf. The selection was almost exclusively biographies without any common theme. Jumbled together were politicians, comedians, historical figures, famous serial killers, and celebrities. The Dalai Lama was neighbors with Hitler, Ben noted with some amusement.

“I love reading about people’s lives,” Jace said from behind. “Do you read?”

“Yeah, but mostly fiction.”

“That’s what some of these are,” Jace said. “If you were writing an autobiography, would you really be able to resist the temptation to doctor the past? Who wants to write about crapping their pants in grade school when it’s more fun to exaggerate success and talk trash on old flames.”

“Good point,” Ben chuckled.

“Biographies are even worse since they are mostly speculation written by adoring fans, spoon fed false information from the celebrity’s agent. Regardless, I can’t help but read them. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine.”

Ben pulled his attention away from the books and noticed that Jace was holding two glasses of champagne. “Oh, wow! I didn’t hear the bottle pop!”

“It didn’t,” Jace confessed. “More freebies from the airlines. They only have the single-serving bottles with the screw top.”

“It’s cool that you get stuff that like for free.”

“Not exactly free.” Jace grimaced. “At least, it’s not supposed to be, but who doesn’t pilfer from their job?”

“Just promise me you have something better in bed than those dinky airline pillows,” Ben said as he accepted his drink.

“Wait and see.” Jace raised his glass. “Here’s to new millenniums and new friendships. Assuming the Y2K bug doesn’t destroy us all, that is.”

Ben clinked glasses and took a sip. For his first champagne, it tasted great. “How much longer until the New Year?”

“About an hour.”

They moved to the couch, which faced a large window. City lights sparkled, the neighborhood Ben had found sinister now tranquil from above. Once Jace was seated, Samson claimed his lap, closing his eyes and purring as Jace scratched his ears. Ben set his glass on the coffee table, pushing paper fortunes out of the way to do so.

“You sure like Chinese food!”

“Not really.” Jace looked embarrassed. “I just really like fortune cookies. There’s a restaurant down the road that sells me full shipping boxes. I know it sounds insane, but they’re my absolute favorite treat.”

Ben laughed and shook his head. Every time Jace opened his mouth, another eccentricity was revealed. Maybe it was this strangeness that scared potential boyfriends away. After all, Jace was attractive, intelligent, and funny, and he had a steady job. What else could anyone want in an eligible bachelor?

“So explain to me how it is that you’re still single?” Ben pried.

“I could ask you the same question.”

“Well, I wasn’t until a week ago.” Ben took a good swig from his champagne.

“Right, right. The burgling boyfriend. Have you heard from him since?”

“Nope, and don’t change the subject. Are you the kind of guy who can’t settle down?”

Jace looked pained. “Quite the opposite. I’ve had my share of boyfriends. It’s just the job that gets in the way.”

“What do you mean?”

“The hours suck. I’m gone for days at a time, and until I have more seniority, my schedule is constantly shifting. So I can’t promise anyone when I’ll be home, or if I’ll even be there at all. Something about sleeping in a hotel every night gives people ideas, so if it isn’t the hours, it’s the jealousy.”

Ben chewed his lip thoughtfully. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound all that bad to me. Being apart and not seeing each other every day would keep things fresh. I think I could deal with that.”

“That’s what they all say at the beginning. Not that I’m trying to discourage you. I’d love for you to prove me wrong. Speaking of which, I fly to Chicago all the time.”

“What are you suggesting?” Ben smiled.

“That I like you and that I want more than to just sleep with you.” Jace studied Ben’s face as he spoke. “I know we’re moving fast, that we don’t know each other very well, but what I’ve seen so far is a charming, considerate, and surprisingly mature college student who is on his way to becoming someone great.”

“Thanks,” Ben grinned. “I think you’re the bee’s knees too.”

Jace laughed. “What I’d like to know is how serious you and your prince of thieves were. Are you coming out of a relationship of years? How long before things turned sour?”

“Just a few weeks. He was nothing. Really.” Ben paused. None of them had been. Not a single guy had made his heart beat to a funky fresh rhythm, not since his junior year of high school, but Ben thought Jace was the first to have that potential. “What about you? Any emotional baggage I need to know about?”

“There was, but the airline lost it all,” Jace said. “Typical really.”