In Briefs - Chapter Five: Vaulted Desires
The air was cool and sharp as Daniel stalked down the sidewalk, fury pulsing just beneath his skin.
How fast things turned. How fast Adrian flipped that switch.
Heâd been undressed in Adrianâs office just twelve hours ago. Now he was disposable. Just another mistake.
He turned a corner and saw it â a glow of red neon against brick: Vault. A gay bar he hadnât been to in years.
He hesitated for half a breath.
And then walked in.
Adrian sat in his living room, the case file open on his lap â and absolutely unread.
He stared at his phone.
Then finally, with a breath he didnât want to take, he called Daniel.
Straight to voicemail.
The tone beeped.
âDaniel⊠hey. Look, Iâmââ He rubbed his eyes. âIâm sorry. About what I said. About how I said it. You didnât deserve that.â
He paced his apartment, voice low. âYou just⊠got too close. Too fast. And I panicked. Thatâs not an excuse, but itâs the truth.â
A pause.
âAnd⊠for what itâs worth, Iâve been thinking about those briefs all day. The black ones. The ones I peeled off you with my teeth.â
Another pause. His voice cracked slightly. âCall me back.â
He hung up, phone still in hand, like it might buzz and fix everything.
It didnât.
Vault pulsed with bass and bodies â men packed wall to wall, some grinding in rhythm, others leaning into dim corners for secrets whispered against skin. It was the kind of place where you went to forget. And Daniel needed to forget badly.
He slid up to the bar, still vibrating from the fight with Adrian. From the voicemail. From everything he wasnât ready to unpack.
âYou drink like a man trying to shut something off,â a voice said beside him.
Daniel turned.
The guy was tall, broad-shouldered, handsome in a way that felt classic â clean lines, quiet strength, the type of man who carried himself like a calm storm. His t-shirt clung in all the right places, and those jeans were slung low and worn soft. Something about him felt⊠familiar. Not quite dĂ©jĂ vu, but enough to make Danielâs brow twitch with curiosity.
âI could say the same about you,â Daniel replied, eyeing the manâs untouched tequila.
The guy smiled, slow and warm, and extended a hand. âNo names?â
Daniel hesitated a beat, then grinned. âSure. Call me⊠West.â
The guy nodded. âAlright, West. Iâm Logan.â
âLogan,â Daniel repeated, liking the way it sounded. âLet me guess. Cowboy by day, heartbreaker by night?â
Logan laughed, low and genuine. âNot quite. But I do like horses.â
âI bet you do.â
They clinked glasses, and Daniel caught a glimpse of skin where Loganâs shirt rode up â a flash of hip, the curve of a waistband. Not boxers. Not briefs.
A jockstrap.
Of course.
Logan mustâve seen him look, because his smile tilted into something mischievous. âYou gonna ask?â
Daniel swirled his drink. âNo need. I already know.â
Logan leaned in a little. âIs that why youâre still standing here?â
âItâs one reason,â Daniel murmured. âThat and⊠something about you feels familiar.â
Logan arched a brow. âBad familiar or good familiar?â
Daniel shrugged, watching him. âThe kind of familiar that makes me want to find out what you look like under better lighting.â
Logan chuckled, resting his elbow on the bar, casual but coiled. âWhat do you do, West?â
âLetâs just say I wear suits, lie convincingly, and try not to get caught.â
Logan let that hang in the air for a moment. âSpy?â
âWorse.â
âPolitician?â
âEven worse.â
Logan laughed again, the kind of laugh that made Daniel feel unreasonably warm. âYouâre trouble.â
âSo are you. But youâre quieter about it.â
Loganâs eyes sparkled. âSomething equally scandalous,â he replied. âLetâs just say I wear a tie during the day, and considerably less at night. What if I told you I was only wearing a jockstrap tonight because I didnât want panty lines?â
Daniel coughed on his drink. âJesus.â
âToo honest?â
âNot at all.â Daniel leaned in, the edge of his knee brushing Loganâs. âYouâre a little dangerous.â
âYou havenât seen anything yet.â
A beat.
âDance with me? But I should warn you, I get handsy when I dance.â Logan asked, holding out a hand.
Daniel took it.













