Forget Me Not by Stormy Glenn Page B

a couple of weeks.”
    “When?” Dominic asked as he tried to remember everything scheduled on his calendar. Could he afford to spend a couple of days at the beach?
    “The end of the month?”
    “I’ll be in Tokyo at the end of the month.”
    “The beginning of next month?”
    “New York again.”
    “The fifteenth of next month?” Keely whispered, his voice growing quieter, less enthusiastic.
    “London.”
    Keely pulled away, dropping back down to the mattress. “Never mind. It was a stupid idea anyway.”
    Dominic’s eyes burned dryly. He turned and stretched out next to Keely, pulling his lover into his arms. “I’ll see if I can reschedule some stuff.”
    “It’s okay. I understand,” Keely whispered, but his eyes said differently. There was a quiet acceptance in them that left Dominic feeling empty and drained.
    “I promise, Keely,” Dominic said. “I’ll find a way for us to be together.”

Chapter Two
     
    Keely James stared at the picture in the newspaper, tears of grief sprouting to his eyes. It was a photograph of Dominic Loudan and a blonde woman named Sophia Russo at a gala event at the local art museum held the night before.
    It really was a flattering photo of both Dominic and Sophia. They had their arms around each other, laughing at something the cameraman said to them. They looked happy. Why shouldn’t they be? According to the newspaper article, Dominic was sure to ask Sophia to marry him any time now.
    The only problem Keely had with the whole thing was that Dominic belonged to him. Keely had been Dominic’s live-in lover for the past five years. They shared everything…their home, their life together…their love.
    So why was Keely seeing Dominic’s name paired with some slinky blonde runway model instead of his? Because they were both men? He had heard the arguments from Dominic time and time again.
    Dominic was basically in the closet.
    Oh, he had no problem being with Keely, introducing him to his closest friends and family. He just didn’t want Keely involved in the public side of his life. He said that people wouldn’t understand two men living together, that they wouldn’t want to do business with someone that was openly gay.
    In the beginning, Keely had understood. He had just been happy to have Dominic in his life. But as time went by, Dominic had been in his life less and less. There were more business trips without Keely, more business dinners without Keely, and finally, more everything without Keely.
    He hadn’t even seen Dominic in over a week, and they lived together. Presently, Dominic was off on some business trip, coming home briefly for this gala event but staying in a hotel. While Keely stayed at home, waiting for Dominic to remember he existed.
    Keely stared at the photo again before dropping the newspaper down on the desk. His heart ached. Dominic hadn’t even called him to say he was in town, much less come home to see him. He wondered if Dominic even remembered that he had someone waiting at home for him.
    He knew he was fooling himself. He had held on far too long, not wanting to let go of the man who owned his heart. But the truth was sitting there in black and white. His relationship with Dominic was over.
    Keely let out a little hysterical laugh as he wondered if Dominic would even notice if he were gone… probably not. He had Sophia to keep him company. He didn’t need Keely.
    He knew he was a glutton for punishment as he reached for the phone and dialed Dominic’s cell phone. He just couldn’t give up on five years without trying one last time to salvage something.
    “Hello?”
    “Dominic?”
    “Hey, baby,” Dominic replied, his voice filled with tension. Keely instantly felt like he shouldn’t have called, like he was a bother to the one man he was supposed to mean everything to.
    “Are you busy?” That was a stupid question. Dominic was always busy.
    “I have a meeting in about…ten minutes. What’s up?”
    “Well, I haven’t seen