The man sitting at table 12 was giving Roddy a hard time. Oh he was agreeable enough and a big tipper. It was his demeanor that had Roddy so on edge. The man exuded a maleness that Roddy had never encountered. A first glance one would think he was a bureaucrat. He was sharply dressed. His hair was jet black and sharply cut. His eyes were the deepest blue Roddy had ever seen in his life. And the lips made you wanna slap your momma they were so perfect. The man’s self-assurance and very direct looks when Roddy walked by had him second guessing himself. That was something Roddy simply was not accustomed to.
By any standard, Roddy was a man’s man. He was tall, strong with thick muscles sprouting bursts of swirling hair, broad shoulders, thick muscled thighs, and a generous package. Roddy knew he was considered handsome by all the women (and men) he ever encountered. He was not ashamed of using his looks to his advantage. His looks had earned him many a tip tending bar. Roddy enjoyed his job. He gave him the perfect opportunity to make a living and to quench his ravenous sex drive. A man needed release from time to time. To Roddy, that is all it ever was. There was no love in his soul. He had seen what the lack of love did to his parents and he had sworn to never go thru it himself. Roddy had a secret. He wasn’t ashamed of it, but he knew the world was not always kind to those who were different. He also had a talent for singling out those like himself. One glance and Roddy knew a person’s sexual proclivities. He could almost smell it on them.
A sharp crack shook Roddy from his thoughts. He glanced over to see the handsome stranger helping an old man pick up his now shattered glass. The old fool was clearly drunk and it did not help that he was large and clumsy. Roddy had already thought of ejecting him; however, he had been quiet and not really disturbing anyone so he had let it slide. Now it was time to act since his guest was clearly over-staying his welcome. As he set his brow for the confrontation and put foot to path toward the man, the handsome stranger did a peculiar thing. He leaned over and whispered into the struggling man’s ear. The drunkard gave a start and swiveled his head around to stare at the blue-eyed stranger in disbelief. He mouthed as if words were coming out but Roddy could hear no sounds. The drunkard steadied himself and fled the bar as fast as he could. Whatever the stranger had said, it had clearly shaken the old fool. Roddy was glad of his departure but now even more on edge around this devilishly handsome stranger who appeared to be motioning him to cover over.
*
Devik looked up to see Roddy looking at him intently. He knew as soon as he had entered the bar he had to have him. This brute of a man was like honey to Devik. He liked them big, strong, and masculine. He had already gleaned from Roddy’s mind where his sexual interests lay. He had picked up Roddy’s thoughts of himself and Devik while warily eyeing the old man pretending to be a drunken fool spilling his drink. The old buzzard was a watcher. For all his memory lapses, Devik still knew many things. He knew the Council of Ages watched him. Why, was unclear, but he knew. He tolerated them as long they did not interfere. This old idiot had clearly tried to hard to fit the role of drunken fool and had over done it. He was struggling and his stupidity was annoying Devik.
Glancing lustfully at Roddy, Devik leaned over to steady the fool and whispered in his ear, “Listen watcher, I am going to let you live today, but only if you leave, now! And tell the Council they had better send someone a little less stupid next time. Now go!” And with that, he gently released the man. The old fool was visibly frightened. He knew the gig was up and dared not utter a word for fear it would be taken wrong. His wits, however dull, were not gone and he did as he was told. He fled for the door as fast as his somewhat clumsy feet would carry him.
Devik could feel the terror emanating from the man. He had no intention of killing him but the Council was getting sloppy if they thought Devik was so easily fooled by these doddling watchers. There was a time when Devik actually relished finding watchers in public. The little game of cat and mouse was often a pleasant distraction. Watchers were trained to keep their thoughts simple. This kept Devik from scanning any deeper as it was often pointless to do so. There had only been one watcher who could hide all his thoughts from Devik. He had a unique talent that Devik cherished in their many years together. A memory stirred but was banished by the sight of Roddy watching him.
Now that the watcher had been sent on his way Devik could turn his thoughts back to his next conquest. “Dear Roddy, you fancy yourself the heart-breaker do you? Let us see who’s heart or ego gets broken?!“, he thought to himself. He motioned Roddy over to his table. He could see the man visibly fighting his nerves. Roddy was not used to being the mouse in the game. His thoughts were full of images of the many erotic things Roddy wanted to do to Devik. Devik smiled, he knew he’d chosen wisely. Roddy would be a very pleasant distraction from his memory issue.