The line rang a moment later. Zack felt light-headed, just as he did every time he was about to talk to John. For the umpteenth time, he told himself he was just excited about the prospect of good sex. He sounded less convincing every time he said it.

After four rings, John picked up. “Hello?”

“Hello, John,” Zack drawled. “My name’s Wesley. I’m here to make all your dreams come true.”

John laughed. “You don’t have to say that every time. I know it’s you.”

“All right,” Zack agreed. “It’s company policy, but I think I can bend the rules for one of my most loyal customers. What would you prefer?”

“How about a nice, casual ‘Hey, sexy’?”

“Ugh, no way. I’d sound like I’m catcalling you from the back of a pickup truck.”

John laughed again and said, “Okay, fair enough. You can say whatever you want. How’s your day going?”

“Much better now.”

“Did you find the shop I sent you to?”

“I did.”

“And the clothes I picked for you, were they ready?” Zack could sense John’s eagerness through the phone.

“They needed to be tailored a bit, but otherwise they were perfect.”

“Excellent. What do you think of my choices?”

“I love them. Especially the pants.”

“Trousers,” John corrected.

“Yeah, those. They fit like a glove. You can pretty much see everything I have going on down there.”

John made a noise of pure want and then fell silent.

Zack waited, but there was no response. “Everything all right?”

“I was wondering—”

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m glad you like them.”

Zack wasn’t convinced, but he let it slide. “So, what’s all this for? I assume you have something in mind.”

“Do you know what a groom is?”

“Uh, like a bride and groom?” Zack fervently hoped that wasn’t where John was going with this.

To his relief, John chuckled. “No, a groom as in the profession. Grooms care for horses.”

“Oh. Right, of course. I thought the clothes had a sort of stableboy vibe to them.”

“That’s because they’re very similar to what a groom wears. I took some artistic liberties with the colors to make them more to my taste, but otherwise, they’re spot-on.”

“Well, I may have missed my calling, because I could get used to dressing like this.”

“I knew it.” John sounded pleased. “From the moment I saw you, I knew you’d be perfect for this. I’ve had this fantasy for years, but I’ve been waiting for the right person to act it out with.”

“Really? What gave you the idea?”

“I have an appetency for horses.”

“Cool,” Zack said. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Appetency? It means a proclivity.”

Zack was silent.

John snorted. “Sorry, my mistake. It basically means something you like to do. I like horseback riding.”