The steady rhythmic beat traveled all the way down to Julian’s bones, making his heart skip once, twice, and then more. The loud volume pulsed with the beat of the latest Kygo song, adding that extra punch, making it difficult to breathe without gasping. Or maybe it was the way his cock reacted to the gorgeous blond man standing across the dimly lit room. He was openly staring at Julian, with eyes that glinted whenever the lights flashed in a kaleidoscope of colors above them. Whatever it was, Julian felt something stir deep inside his chest, traveling down his diaphragm, before settling into the pit of his stomach. It was a familiar feeling, the lust that coursed through his body. From where he was standing, he could see that the guy was somewhat his type and would do, he guessed.

Type.

Come to think about it, what was his type?

Up until a year ago, he’d never even considered that he would type men. Now, where it came to women, Julian considered himself a connoisseur—he’d had a lot of them—short, tall, thin, and the not too thin. He’d enjoyed being with all kinds of women, and been proud to think they had enjoyed his attention. Until Arjan Kerchner. It wasn’t until he’d seen his best friend’s husband that his world tilted on its axis and his eyes had opened to a whole other possibility.

He could still remember how his heart had skipped several beats that first time he’d seen Arjan pull himself out of the pool wearing nothing but a strip of black Speedo. Seeing the lean, toned body, and the way the muscles had rippled with every move, Julian had been surprised at his own reaction. He’d never seen such a beautiful specimen before. It was normal for him to be admiring of both men and women, but Arjan had been a whole different matter. The man was too beautiful to be real, and the lust that had slammed straight into his cock that afternoon had taken him by surprise.

Guilt had been the second reaction. Especially as Paul had been standing right next to him, heard his voiced admiration, and saw the attraction in his eyes. He’d gotten kicked for it, too.

Whenever he thought about men, after discovering his attraction for them that day, he’d found that he liked all shapes and sizes. It didn’t matter whether they were bigger or smaller, taller or shorter, beautiful or masculine, he really didn’t care. Well, wait. If they stank or were weirdos, drunks, and smelled of nasty body odor—there was no way he was even going to go near them. Bad breath was a deal breaker, too. Sure, he was slutty, but he had standards.

And that was another thing. Standards, the way he saw it, meant that he was in search of something or someone specific. Unfortunately, what or who that was still evaded him. What he knew for sure was that he was seeking something elusive that no one had yet managed to possess.

He took a swallow of beer straight from the bottle, panning his gaze away from his admirer toward the dance floor in the center of the room. His gaze locked in on a tight group of sweat slicked bare bodies of nubile young men, dancing in wild abandon. Their skin was glistening with sweat, reflecting the lights as they flickered in time with the music. One of the men’s eyes flicked over his way, but when their gazes met, Julian didn’t feel any tingle of attraction. Pity. The guy was cute, too.

Julian continued his search. So far, the only one who’d tickled his fancy had been that man in the shadows. He looked toward the dark corners of the club, expecting to see one of his bodyguards lurking about. When he didn’t see anyone, the corner of his mouth lifted into a satisfied smirk. Ben, the CyNapse Security, Inc.’s chief of security, was not going to like that he’d managed to escape his detail. Again.

Julian flicked his gaze back to where the man had stood before only to find he was no longer there. For a brief moment, he stared at the empty spot, a twinge of disappointment replaced his previous curiosity. He had no idea why he would feel disappointed—after all, he didn’t even know the guy.

Taking another sip from his beer, he shifted on the bar stool to search for another potential. He almost dropped his bottle when a muscled arm snaked around his waist. He sat still as the palm of that anonymous hand inched its way from his waist up and to the middle of his chest. Warm tingles of anticipation tickled up his spine when hot, moist breath brushed the back of his neck and up against his ear. The slick, hot tongue that wound its way up to his left earlobe made his hair stand while his cock twitched in anticipation.

“I saw you looking at me,” the male voice teased into his ear.

Julian’s lip curled up as he turned in the embrace to face his potential lover.

“I saw you looking back,” he said, taking in the man before him. Whoever he was, he was young, in his early twenties if he were to judge, and a beauty with pale blue eyes, and a pink, plump mouth that smirked up at him in open invitation. Julian bit the inside of his cheek. Those lips were augmented by some dermal filler if he were to take a guess, and judging from the much thinner upper lip, he’d guessed right. It didn’t matter, he liked the effect, plus he could not deny his cock when it reacted this way. It needed fulfillment, and he wanted a good fuck tonight.

“What’s your name?” he asked instead.