The night was chilly, and the air smelled of autumn. It was crisp and cold, a soft promise of winter. Arthur's hands were under my blazer. He felt warm.

"My place," he said. "I bet you'll like it."

"I wanted to ask you something." 

What I was feeling wasn't love. It was lust boiling in my stomach and groin, and I wasn't going to be stupid. At least, not for long.

"After." He was sincere, or at least he was very good at sounding sincere.

There is always after.

King's apartment was minimalistic. The living room furniture was black. The walls were white, and the windows offered a view of the city. The only things that seemed to provide a bit of color to that room were the paintings on the walls and the woman sitting on the couch.

She smiled, and her expression seemed all too familiar. "Arthur." She sat and walked towards him, then placed her hands on his shoulders. The woman was blonde; her hair tightly pulled into a bun. She was wearing a burgundy suit and heels that could stab through a skull.

Arthur slouched visibly, like a pissed-off teenager that was being scolded. It was the first time when he was anything else but charming. The woman smiled again and pushed her glasses up her nose.

"Mom, you can't just break into my apartment," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Here in the city, or here – here?"

"Here – here," he answered. She shrugged.

"Business. I need your help."

Arthur glanced at me, and his mother followed his gaze.

"I see," she said, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "Well, darling, I'll e-mail it to you. How about that? I'd hate to ruin your night." She walked towards me and stretched out her hand just like all the lawyers I've seen on TV. "Elisabeth King."

"Tristan." I felt myself about to stumble. I shook her hand and then remembered that I wasn't a fifteen-year-old kid, and I wasn't introducing myself to a Starbucks barista. "Tristan Carter."

"Nice to meet you, Tristan. Please don't mind me; I promise I won't ruin your fun." She winked. I heard Arthur drop on the couch. He grunted.

Elizabeth looked like Arthur. It was uncanny how much they resembled each other.

"I'm…"

"Of course, of course." She waved her hand and shook her head. "How rude of me, right? You boys want to be alone. You're young. Arthur, honey, come here."

I watched King as he sat up lazily. He was sulking, but he walked towards his mother. She pecked his cheek, and he sighed. 

"I'll e-mail you," she said. He nodded.

Elisabeth looked at me with the same bright smile on her face. "Tristan, it's been delightful. I'm fairly sure you can forgive me for intruding. I'm certain you're better than the last one."

"Ugh, yeah, no problem." I struggled a little not to sound like I was embarrassed.

I waited for her to leave. Arthur closed the door behind her and came back. He didn't say a word, and I took it as an invitation to talk first. I wasn't sure what I should say.

"I wasn't expecting to meet the parents so soon."

Arthur puffed a laugh and sat down. "Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm surprised. She's good at unlocking doors."

"I need to talk to you," I said. This visit made it urgent for me to ask questions. After wasn't an option anymore.

"We talk."

"No, you talk. Whenever I want to ask you something, you talk about something else. I have questions."

"We just met," he said, taking off his shoes with his foot. He loosened his tie.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I know. And I want to know if I want to keep seeing you. I hardly know anything about you besides your name and that you have odd friends."

Arthur's eyes traveled from whatever it was he was looking at the wall to me. He didn't seem disturbed or insulted. He looked bored.

"You work for me. You'll see me at the club."

"I meant in private."

He smiled. "Fine. But I can't promise I'll answer all of them." He stretched and placed his feet on the coffee table.

I took a seat next to him. "Alright. Let's start simple. How old are you?"

"Twenty-seven," he answered.

"What did you study in college?"

"Art."

"Arthur, why were you in the hospital?"

I saw how his tongue moved over his teeth. He thought for a second. "I didn't overdose on something if that's what you're thinking. I have diabetes."

Oh. I felt like a dick for a moment, but I tried to bury that feeling for now.

"Why was the police there?"

He hummed. "Sam? He wanted something. He's going to marry my sister."

"Something important?"

"Yeah."

"What?" Arthur leaned towards me and pinched my cheek. He shook his head. Fucker.

"Alright," I took a deep breath in. "Besides the club…" I started, "are you, ugh, involved in anything illegal?"

"Yes." It was a simple answer. He didn't elaborate, so I just stared at him. I wasn't expecting him to refuse to tell me about Sam-the-Cop and be so blunt about this. 

"What?"

He was thinking, and I didn't intervene. I was almost sure he wasn't going to answer.

"Art."

"Art?" I asked.

King nodded. It didn't make sense in my head. "Art trade. Or art forgery. What can I say? I really like art."

"And your mother?"

"Oh, she likes to impress," Arthur said. "She probably wants me to get her a nice sculpture, or a painting, or something rare from someone that doesn't want to sell. Or maybe an exceptional fake."

"And Elsie?" I asked, remembering her.

"I know what you're thinking. She really is my friend. And she's very nice, just not with the guys I'm dating. I'm not good at picking them. We do business sometimes."

I was sitting there, shocked. I was wondering if I should just forget the whole deal and go home. Call a friend over and eat cheap pizza. Get into my old pajamas and watch an old episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. 

 I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Art trade wasn't such a big thing in my head, he wasn't hurting anyone, but it wasn't right either. At least, I thought it wasn't right. Forgery didn't sound like the noblest job in the world. 

"Your mother said I was better than the last guy you dated. Or something like that."

"Oh, yeah," Arthur said. "He shot me in the side with a 9mm. She was pissed. It kinda ruined her favorite rug."

"What? Why? What happened to him?" 

"Oh, who knows?" He waved his hand and smiled. I couldn't help but laugh. Of course, he refused. I got my share of answers for that night. 

Everything seemed unreal.

"Did you sleep with Tony?"

"Hell yeah."

I couldn't help but laugh. King kissed me.