There was a good crowd here, Zay noticed, most with kiddies in tow. He was glad he'd asked Syd to come with him. She might be an adult, but at less than five feet tall, she looked about eleven. Didn't want to stand out. He scoped the room looking for Paul and spotted him fussing with the vegetable platters. With a predatory gleam in his eyes, Zay casually walked over to where Paul had a clear shot of him and pretended to drop something. His back to Paul, he slowly bent down, and then just as slowly rose back up. He hadn't chosen these tight jeans for nothing, and he knew they showcased his ass to perfection. He went over to the vegetable tray and took a small carrot. He caught Paul's eye briefly as he sucked on the end of the carrot, then he walked off.

Syd was standing nearby, snorting into her cup of punch. "You are SUCH a cock tease. Tart."

"I know." Zay laughed. "He's looking a bit bothered, don't you think? Let's get a plate and mingle. See if he takes the bait."

Paul watched with amusement at the antics of the young man. Cute-looking ass, Paul thought, and he continued to stare at the retreating back. Cheeky smile too. Damn, now where had he seen him before? The face was so familiar but he could not recall where they might have met before.

The event organiser came up to Paul and clapped him on his back, telling him the guests loved the buffet spread and everything was just ‘grand’. Paul smiled and replied graciously. From the corner of his eye, straight in his line of sight, Paul saw cute-ass staring at him. A bit disconcerted, Paul turned his back and continued his conversation with the organiser.

Zay smiled in smug satisfaction. Yep, he was definitely getting to Paul. But this was not the time for introductions. His mission was to work Paul up and then disappear, at least until the next function.

"His cheeks are rosy, I think he's flustered." Syd commented as she finished off her chicken wings. 'So what now, Moriarty?"

"Moriarty? Oh yeah, Sherlock Holmes' adversary, the evil genius. Thanks. Now? Now I flirt a bit more, then we leave. But I bet he thinks about me for the rest of the day. While I do that, see if you can score some food to take back to Izzy and Jinx. "

"Got it covered. I'll meet you back at the entrance."

Paul had moved out from the buffet tables and was talking to someone unimportant, well, unimportant as far as Zay was concerned. He timed his approach towards Paul carefully, watching the crowd, waiting for just the right moment to feign being jostled. He bumped into Paul and grabbed an arm to steady himself. Nice muscle there. "Sorry." He gave Paul a dazzling smile. "Thanks for the assist." He let his fingers linger for just an extra second or two on Paul's arm, and then he made his way to the door and the waiting Syd. He glanced back one last time, and then they left.

An unfamiliar tingle run up Paul’s spine when he felt Zay’s fingers clasp around his arm. The fingers gripped harder than was necessary, and they certainly lingered longer than was appropriate. And that cheeky grin that was flashed at him - that was probably when Paul realized that this young man was coming onto him, maybe even stalking him. Torn between caution and bewilderment, he cast the impish face into his memory and decided that the next time they ran into one another, he would be much better prepared.