The bright, sexy-colored lights of South Beach winked at them like teasing eyes while David slumped lower in his car seat. Antonio drove silently and carefully in the heavy traffic and the constant flow of bodies to the nightspots that lined the street. David had long since given up any hope of retrieving more than monosyllable grunts from his bodyguard, but he finally had to ask, "Is there a particular place you have in mind for us to stay or are we just going to drive around all night?"

Antonio glanced at him, the lights playing in his eyes just as they did along the liquid metal shine of the car's hood. He smiled and David suddenly didn't care if they ever got out of the car. He said, "I'm taking you to meet Mother. She should be able to put us up for the night."

David's mouth fell open and his eyes darted around the area. "Your mother lives around here? I had no idea you had relatives in the city."

Antonio nodded. "Mother works nights."

David straightened and ran his hand through his hair. "Shouldn't we call her first?"

Antonio grinned again and reached out a hand to mess up the blonde hair and rubbed the back of his fingers lightly over David's cheek. "You don't have to worry about looking presentable Rubio. Mother prefers men that are a bit......scruffy. Too bad you don't have a day's growth of beard."

David fingered the smooth skin along his jaw line, a worried furrow in his brow. "What exactly is it that your mother does?"

"She's an entertainer," Antonio said and heightened the mystery further.

"Oh," David said, creating the illusion of understanding.

As they entered the nightspot called 'Sequins,' David's brow no longer felt capable of smoothing itself out. The place reminded him of 'La Cage aux Folles'. The Barbra Streisand impersonator on stage was sending the crowd into gales of laughter. He followed in Antonio's wake as he parted the crowd beside the bar and made his way to the dressing rooms. It was an explosion of color and activity. A marriage of Vegas and Old Hollywood glamour. Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, and Cher mingled with showgirls.

Antonio had made his way unhindered, with just a nod of his head in greeting, past several men who were obviously bouncers. They stopped at the foot of some stairs and this time Antonio engaged the ex-Marine guarding the entrance in brief conversation before they went up. The upstairs area was private living space. Comfortable and lived-in, but decorated with expensive Art Deco pieces. They were met by a slender, gazelle of a young man who greeted Antonio effusively. Antonio laughed and pulled him close in a hug that caused David's brow to ache horrendously.

"Stephen, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Rubio." Antonio turned to David with his arm still around the young man's neck.

Stephen held out a hand as slender as the rest of him and said, "I don't remember seeing you here before and I'd remember it. I never forget faces or...." He lowered his large, expressive eyes to the front of David's pants. Antonio jabbed him hard between the ribs. Stephen jerked away, favoring his injured side and yelled partly in pain and partly in delight. "Hey! I've never forgotten you have I, sweetheart?!"

Antonio shoved him gently but firmly out of the room. "That's because there's nothing for you to forget. Why don't you and your overactive imagination take us to Mother?"

Stephen rubbed his side dramatically and purred lovingly at Antonio as he led them further into the apartment. "We've missed you Antonito. Why don't you come to visit us more often?"

"Business has been brisk and I like to keep busy." Antonio eased him forward again with a hand in the small of the young man's back.

Stephen's eyes cut back knowingly over his shoulder at David. "Business? Is that what's keeping you so busy? What a shame."

Antonio slapped his ass, hard. "It'll be a shame for you if you don't let Mother know we're here! Now, get going!"

They found Mother in her dressing room; a glaringly attractive black figure in a white silk dressing robe, her short hair pulled back from her face. Upon seeing who her visitors were she immediately stopped applying her makeup, turned around and opened her arms wide. "Antonito!" she cried in a voice of honey sweetened whiskey. "My God! Get over here, baby, and give Mother a hug!"

Mother stood up and enveloped Antonio between her voluptuous breasts and muscular arms. She stood a statuesque six foot three in her expensively stockinged feet.

When Antonio could manage to come up for breath he laughed as he said, "It's good to see you, too, Mother. It's been too long. Can you do me a big favor? We need a place to stay, just for the night."

"We?" Mother looked in David's direction.

Antonio turned and pulled David closer. "A good friend of mine, Rubio."

David held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you.....Mother. I'm sorry to put you to so much....."

A large, cool hand covered David's brow. Mother ignored his outstretched hand to peer closely into his face. "Are you sure you don't have a migraine, baby? You look sick. Has Antonito been treating you all right?" She looked at Antonio, her full lips compressed in a line that was meant to be severe, but on Mother just looked like she was having a difficult time picking out which dress to wear.

Antonio grinned wickedly at Mother and hugged David tighter, a hand slapping his stomach. "I couldn't be treating him better, Mother. He's safer with me than with his own family."

David looked meaningfully into Antonio's eyes as he said, "That's certainly true."

Mother looked from one man to the other as their eyes lingered in each other's gaze, reluctant to let go. She reached out and pulled David toward her as she said, "Stephen, show Antonito to the guest bedroom. David and I need to have a little chat and get to know each other better."

David watched in helpless agony as Stephen and Antonio left the room. He had not liked the look on Stephen's face at all. It reminded him of a starved Chihuahua in heat.

"Sit here, honey." Mother pulled up a chair beside hers at the dressing table. She sat down and began to deftly apply her makeup. She looked at David's uncomfortable reflection in the mirror. "So, how long have you been in love with him?"

David's look of startlement couldn't have been more complete. "Who? Me? In love with who?"

Mother smiled at his reflection indulgently. "With Antonito, of course."

David's eyes darted away from her's. "You're mistaken. We're just friends, nothing more."

"Uhm hum." Mother reached up for a blonde wig that was a confection of whipped cream cascading down to her broad shoulders. "Antonito can be a difficult person to be 'friend's' with. How long have you two known each other?"

"Just a few days. How long have you known him?" David asked.

Mother studied his face carefully before she answered. "Antonito and I go way back. Nicky was a waiter at the same place I was performing in and Antonito would wait for his shift to end. We'd talk." Mother got a wistful, faraway look in her eyes. "Those were some great times."

"Who was Nicky?" David asked, not really sure he wanted to know the answer, but consumed with a curiosity to know everything about Antonio's past.

This time it was Mother's turn to drop her gaze. She reached out and patted David's knee as she got up and moved behind a screen. "That was years ago, baby. Years ago."

Mother walked out in a figure-hugging, lavender gown covered in sequins from its strapless top to its floor hugging hem. She towered over David in 5-inch heels. Raising her arms, she smiled down at him, "Well, how does Mother look tonight?"

David looked up from his seat and smiled. "You look beautiful. Spectacular, actually."

Mother bestowed a beaming smile on him and turned around. "Zip me up will you honey."

David managed not to fumble too badly with the zipper as he tried once again. "Were Nicky and Antonio lovers? Does he have something to do with these nightmares he has?"

Mother turned around, a startled look of concern on her face. "He still has those?" She walked over to a small cabinet, pulled out a bottle and poured two shots. She put one of the glasses in David's hand and threw the contents of the other back in a burning slide down her throat. It warmed her, but didn't drive away the worry from her eyes. "You'll have to ask Antonito about Nicky, sweetheart." She patted David's cheek and smiled at him, noting the matching look of worry in his eyes. "You care about him, don't you, baby?" David nodded, his eyes never leaving the long-lashed black ones looking so sadly into his. Mother sighed, "Don't stop caring, Rubio. He needs all of it he can get. You remind me very much of Nicky." She smiled suddenly as she set down her glass and put her arm through his. They walked out of the room together and Mother said, "I wish we had time to talk longer, but I've got to go. If I don't see you before you leave, give Antonito a big kiss for me will you sweetheart?"

David blushed and Mother laughed and left him with her lipstick kiss on his cheek. He reached up as he watched her disappear out of the room and smiled as he rubbed away the red mark. The room suddenly seemed dark without her.