to the proper authorities and claim their reward. Ian merely provided the muscle and bravado to go and get them. Theirs was a delicate balance, but their partnerships, both in the field of archaeology and in bed, had worked successfully for several profitable years. Rocking the boat could prove dangerous, but the time had come to challenge that balance. Ian wanted more. A little independent research of his own could aid his cause.
Leaving the curator to answer remaining questions about the new exhibits, centering around loans to other museums and financial details. Ian departed the stage and made his way to the back of the room and David. They took every precaution to ensure no one discovered they were more than business partners, but all that would change if he got his way. If David could lay ground rules for their relationship, then so could Ian.
“I’m going back,” he said softly enough for only the two of them to hear. “On the Maid.”
His lover stiffened, eyes wide. “Do you think that wise?” David glanced right and left, but no one stood close enough to overhear. Most of the audience was departing from the auditorium to view the latest additions, and the few individuals remaining were too focused on their own conversations or the curator to notice Ian’s and David’s words. More quietly, David hissed, “You know as well as I do that the Naughty Maid was lost at sea. And we don’t know exactly when she went down. We can’t risk another trip right now. Wait a few weeks, we’ll find another way.”
“Oh, it’s we now, is it?” Ian feigned annoyance. A few weeks might be too late. “I don’t recall seeing you standing next to me when I was facing possible execution for piracy. You get the easy job. You just walk down the street and know the right rock to look under.”
David drew back, lips puckered. His contribution was far more than that, but Ian had exhausted all the usual arguments. Now was the time for drastic measures and a bit of pirate strategy for the ultimate haul of his career. Hiding and pretending to be just colleagues had gotten damned old. Why couldn’t they be seen openly as partners in more than just their archeological pursuits—at least among those who mattered in their lives?
“That… that’s not fair!” David scowled. “We both know the amulet only works for you. If I could, I’d be by your side in a flat minute and you know it.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” Ian shook his head, causing his hair, deliberately worn loose to impress his lover, to tumble over his shoulders. He placed his hand over the amulet in question, hidden beneath his shirt. A brief flash of warmth caressed his fingers. “Nothing is stopping you from doing that now, yet you won’t.”
Instantly defensive, as he always was when they had this conversation, David stood, hands on hips. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. You know why we can’t go public.”
“Do I? And what’s the justification this time? You used to say coming out would upset your grandmother. She died two years ago. Then you said our relationship would end your tenure. We left the university when we began freelancing. So, what’s your reason now? Is it because your skin just happens to be darker than mine?”
Granted, with the current attitude toward gay men on the island, holding hands and strolling down the streets of Kingston could never happen, but the measured distance between their bodies wasn’t reserved for Jamaica. Their many trips to New York and Paris should have been reprieves to be themselves, yet David still insisted on them being “just friends” in public.
“Or maybe it’s because I like beer and you like wine,” Ian persisted. “C’mon, I’m sure a learned man such as yourself can invent a new excuse—maybe one that’s even remotely believable.”
David’s nostrils flared.
Oh hell, he’d pushed further than was wise. But sometimes things had to be broken in order to repair them the way they should have been in the beginning.
David’s measured tones lacked any emotion. “Ian, I am not having this conversation here. If you want to discuss it later, come by the house.”
If Ian went by the house they’d just wind up in bed and the matter would remain unresolved. It had happened too many times before. “No, David. I don’t believe I will. The Maid is about to set sail and I’ll be on her. Check the cache in the caves