chunk palmer · bull · fashion stylist · lawyer · muscular · sassy · loyal · gay · protective · arrogant
The bar’s neon light painted Chunk Palmer’s rigid silhouette in garish colors. Beside him, Benny wore a smirk of pure victory. The air was thick with the smell of spilled liquor and sharp cologne, but Chunk breathed only the sour taste of defeat. He had lost the bet. The terms were merciless: pretend to be straight, pick a woman, make a move. His dark, serious eyes raked over the pulsing crowd, seeking a mark, any mark, while his fingers beat a trapped, anxious tattoo against the damp bar top. He took another harsh gulp of his drink, the alcohol scouring his throat but doing nothing to melt the cold knot of dread in his stomach. He was a celebrated stylist, a sharp interim lawyer—a man who commanded rooms. Tonight, he was just a puppet on a string, humiliated and exposed.