Chapter 2

Burke had spent the later years of his twenties and early years of his thirties carrying out a romantic relationship with the cowboy. Both flew back and forth to visit each other, sharing long weekends. And both were faithful during the seven-year relationship. Burke recalled his time with Derrick as physical more than emotional, though. The rough and hot sex with the rancher proved more robust and memorable than Burke’s sentiments for the man. Truth told, the sex should have been filmed and sold. It would have made quite the sum of money for the pair.

Yes, Burke had fallen in love with Derrick. But love could only last for so long in some situations. Both men became exhausted traveling back and forth for the sex, and the relationship mutually dissolved. Derrick stayed in touch via email and Facebook. The cowboy now lived with two other cowboys, Jett and Sam, and the three were lovers, happy together.

As for Burke, he quit modeling at thirty-four, feeling old. He fell into his accounting role and hadn’t met a lover since. He had a few short-term relationships in the past few years: Connor, the electrician with his big dick; Dolby, the pianist with his little dick; Josh Timber, the hippie who thought he was half-bear because of his hairy chest and face. Although lucky, finding a soul mate proved difficult for Burke. Now at forty-two, he didn’t believe a soul mate existed in the world.

* * * *

Colby Blue reminded Burke of his Oklahoma cowboy, Derrick. The two men could have passed as twins: rugged, hulking, and beautiful. Not a cowboy, though. Colby owned and operated a new company called The True Blue Dating Agency, an off-line dating service similar to Match and eHarmony. Colby used a hands-on approach with his clients instead of making them take an hour out of their busy lives to complete a computerized questionnaire.

Upon meeting Burke, Colby told him, “True Blue is intimate, just as any relationship should be. My clients prefer face to face communication over keystrokes and spending hours looking for Mister or Miss Right on the computers. True Blue’s workings aren’t the same as online dating sites. True Blue is about representation, learning human contact, understanding companionship and…”

“Did you find your soul mate?” Burke interjected, seated across from Colby at Gruk’s Bistro in downtown Channing. The drinks were nonalcoholic, simple. The place had a busy lunch crowd.

Colby chuckled. “This question always comes up. And I always tell the truth when I share an answer.”

“What’s the answer?”

Colby looked across the table, into Burke’s eyes, and shook his head. “Simply stated, no. I haven’t found a soul mate.”

“But you stand behind your company?”

Colby nodded. “I do. True Blue works for a lot of single people. I have a staff of six men and women who work closely with clients to find true love.”

“Why should I invest money in True Blue if it hasn’t worked for you?” Burke asked, interested in their conversation, curt but cautious.

“Because True Blue has been around for the last year, and it has been quite successful with over two thousand clients.”

“That’s a lot of dates.”

Colby grinned, tapping buttons on his cellphone. “You’re very direct, aren’t you, Burke?”

“Honest. Direct. I don’t know how to be anything else.”

Colby looked up from his phone, and Burke caught him in a stare, taking in Burke’s good looks: blond hair, blue eyes, bulky chest, clean shaven, tiny scar above his upper lip. Colby tapped more buttons on his phone.

“What do you have on me so far, Mr. Blue?”

They had been chatting for the last twenty minutes. Burke felt the meeting was a waste of his time with too many questions and not enough evidence that Colby Blue’s company could/would find him a soul mate.

“Hold on a second.” Colby handed Burke his cellular. “Look at this picture.”

Burke stared at a handsome mug shot that resembled Derrick, his ex-cowboy: same eyes, cut jaw line, and ruggedness. Plus, the man in the picture resembled Colby. Handsome. Worth a stare or two

“That’s the guy who I will personally find for you. Your soul mate.”

“He’s definitely my taste in a man.” Burke passed the phone back to Colby. “I doubt you’ll find him, though.”

Colby confidently leaned back in his chair, grinned. “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“It’s an old cliché, said too many times.”

“You have to trust me on this, Mr. Spire. If you don’t believe in finding love, then you’re wasting my time, and yours.”

“I’m lucky,” Burke said.

Colby leaned forward. “Good. Lucky guys are always the ones who find love.” He opened his leather binder on the table and pulled out a thin, paper folder. “Read over this. It’s a contract for six months.”

“How much?”

“Twenty-four thousand dollars.”

Burke was taken aback by the amount. “That’s a lot of dough to find my Mr. Right.”

Colby directed his full attention at Burke and stated clearly, unblinkingly, “True Blue is the epitome of romance and finding love, Burke. We know what we’re doing and have every intention of finding the man of your dreams.”

* * * *

Later that day

“Are you going to sign the contract or not?” Adelai “Ad” Pilsner asked, tossing a piece of freshly popped popcorn into his mouth.