by Sara York
“I have. I’m not an angel. When guys buy me for parties, I would take stuff just to get through it.”
Lafferty paled. “Fuck.”
“Does it bug you that I was a party favor for rich men?”
“Yes.”
Andries’ heart stuttered. Was Lafferty going to kick him out now? He had to be real with Lafferty, well to a point. No way he would tell Lafferty about the worst thing he’d ever done. Revealing the information wouldn’t help anyone. He prayed the truth never came out, but the guy deserved to die. Just thinking of the incident had Andries hot under the collar.
Lafferty squeezed his hand so tight, his knuckles turned white. “It bugs me when rich men use other men. It bugs the hell out of me how people use each other. I’m not a saint by any means, but I try to treat people like humans.”
“You’re not kicking me out.”
Lafferty set his beer down and met Andries’ gaze. “I’m not going to kick you out. We’ll work out a plan. We’ll find a place for you to work and get you on a path where you won’t ever be homeless again.”
He swallowed over the lump in his throat. How could anyone be so nice? Even his dad hadn’t been this nice.
“I’m tired, and I have an early morning,” Lafferty said.
Andries picked up his bottle and finished the last of the beer. He needed to stop drinking. He hadn’t had any alcohol in months. He knew how easy it was to get lost in a bottle.
“Thank you.” The words seemed too small for what he actually felt.
Lafferty nodded and then headed into the bathroom. Andries looked around, knowing once Lafferty left, he would have to make sure this place stayed clean. This was his chance to get off the streets. He needed money. Even if Lafferty wasn’t charging him to stay, he still had to buy food, clothes, and save for rent on another place because Lafferty wouldn’t support him forever.
Chapter Three
The next morning Lafferty was out the door before Andries even woke. He wasn’t worried about Andries doing something, even robbing him. The apartment had little of value, and he’d taken his computer, his wallet, and his passport with him, not because he didn’t trust Andries, it was just what he usually took when he left for work meetings.
If anyone else knew he had a homeless man living in his place, he’d catch hell. Maybe it was stupid of him to think he could save Andries, but Lane and Gresh had opened their arms and their home to him. He was in a position to return the favor.
He hadn’t prepared enough for this meeting. The only salvation he had was Jump would be Skyped in for this call.
He arrived at the building about five minutes before the meeting was supposed to start and was glad he had time to use the restroom. He stepped out of the bathroom and froze.
“Lafferty, what are you doing here? Is Andries with you?” Andries’ dad blinked up at him, then his smile fell. “Oh God, you’re Mr. Miller of Miller Enterprises.” The man paled and looked like he was going to freak out.
“I am. My dads are Lane and Gresh. I believe you’ve been working with Jump.”
Worry made the man’s brows wrinkle. “Jump. Oh, yes, Mr. Long.” Mr. Cosmos rubbed his forehead. “I guess we should go in for the meeting.”
Lafferty was representing the company right now and couldn’t say what he really wanted to say. He swallowed over the words and forced a smile. “Yes, we should.”
They were situated in a conference room facing a wall with a screen. The call started with Jump speaking for a few minutes. Lafferty talked for a few minutes on how their company would supply the promotional information to the media. It was a new project Bruce had wanted to get involved with. They were making a lot of extra cash, which funneled into charity work. The company Gresh’s dad started had gone from being a taker to operating as a giver. The amount of charity work was amazing to Lafferty. He really should get his act together and take over more responsibility but Jump and Bruce were doing so well.
Jump glanced up, and his smile spread. “Gresh, I didn’t know you were going to be here.” He turned back to the camera. “Gresh showed up today. Now would be a good time to introduce you to him. He has been instrumental in our company taking this direction.”
“Mr. Miller,” Mr. Cosmos said. “This is unusual. I’m Hagen Cosmos, and I didn’t realize it last night, and I’ve worked through it during the meeting, but it’s kind of funny.”
Gresh lifted his brows, and Lafferty had a sinking suspicion about what Mr. Cosmos was about to say. There was no way he could tell the man to shut up right now. It would be rude, and his dad would know something was wrong. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain everything, but it looked like he wouldn’t have any choice.
His stomach clenched, and his throat closed. He was going to catch hell. If only he could stop this ball from rolling down the hill and smashing him, but it was going too fast. There was no ‘abort mission’ standard he could fall back on. And Mr. Cosmos was speaking before he could come up with anything to change the subject. It was like he was trapped, unable to voice any words.
Mr. Cosmos continued. “Funny thing. Yesterday I happened upon my son with his new husband, and I didn’t know he was your son.”
“What?” Gresh’s gaze zeroed in on Lafferty.
The anger was evident, along with the hurt and disappointment. Of course, they’d be hurt. He hadn’t told them about the marriage because it wasn’t real. This is what no good deed goes unpunished means.
“Well, cats out of the bag. It just happened. We were going to fly into Houston soon and spring it on you.”
“Wait, you haven’t even told them?” Mr. Cosmos asked. “Oh no, I’m so sorry.”
“Well, it looks like our sons are secretive.” Gresh’s voice was edged with anger. “Lane will be…Christmas is in two weeks. We’ll save two seats for you both.”
“Yes, sir. We’ll be there.” Lafferty’s stomach was in a tight knot. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint his dad, and he had.
Gresh left the meeting room, and Jump finished them up. The call ended, and Lafferty stood, ready to go and deal with the shit storm he’d created. He was fucked hard.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you hadn’t told…I guess I should have known. Andries had said you weren’t telling anyone yet. I just thought…I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. They would have found out soon enough.” Lafferty’s conscious was screaming at him. He shouldn’t have lied. He was digging in deeper, but for some strange reason, he wanted this hole.
“I’m really sorry. And would you tell Andries I said hello? I miss him.”
Lafferty nodded, then headed out. He made it ten, maybe fifteen steps out of the building before his phone rang. It was Lane. He moved close to the building and stopped walking before he answered.
“Hello.”
“Lafferty, I really thought you knew better than to keep stuff from us. Gresh is devastated that you didn’t tell us yet.”
“Dad,” Lafferty said.
“Don’t Dad me. I know you had some reason for keeping this quiet, but we want you to be happy.”
Pain circled around his heart. He hated being the fuckup. “I know. We were going to surprise you at Christmas.”
“Well, we are surprised. Why didn’t you come home for a wedding? You know we really do think of you as our son. We love you.”
“Dad, trust me. I wasn’t keeping it from you. We really were going to tell you. I’ll be there for Christmas.”
“Good, because Matthew is coming too.”
“Awesome. I’m guessing everyone knows about Andries now?”
“Is that his name?” Lane asked.
“Yes. His name is Andries Cosmos. He’s Greek but a citizen of the USA now.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.” Lane was silent for a moment. “Tell me, do you love him?”
“Dad.” Lafferty heated. He couldn’t even think in terms of love. How had his life gotten so screwed up? All he was trying to do was help so
meone, and now his whole family thought he was married to some stranger they’d never met.
“Okay, I won’t ask silly questions. I get it. You married him, so of course you love him, and I’m sure we will too. I’ll see you for Christmas. And Lafferty, I love you.”
“Love you too. And please tell Gresh I love him.”
“Will do.”
He hung up, wondering how the hell he was going to get out of this one. Now everyone knew he was married. Well, he technically wasn’t, but they knew he had told Andries’ dad they were married, which meant they were married in his families’ eyes.
“Oh fuck,” he whispered. His stomach churned, and his head buzzed. He was screwed. His family wouldn’t understand. They’d freak out over his lie. They already thought he was flaky, this would prove it.
He had to fight the urge to scream. Losing his shit on the streets wouldn’t be right. Thank God he wasn’t a thing here in New York. At least he didn’t have to worry about anyone following him around.
On his way back to his apartment, he stopped by a pizza place and picked up a sausage pizza. When he opened the door, Andries glanced up from the book he was reading.
“Hey, you’re back. And you brought pizza. God bless you. How did your meeting go?”
He blew out a breath, trying to come up with the words so he didn’t freak Andries out. “It was a meeting. I’m glad it’s over.” He set the pizza on the table and pulled at his tie before removing it along with his button-down shirt.
He went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of beer. He cracked it open and took a long swig, meeting Andries’ gaze as he drank. Andries lifted his brows then turned to look at the microwave clock.
When he pulled the bottle away from his mouth, he groaned. “What? It’s noon in England.”
Andries narrowed his gaze. “What happened?”
Lafferty took a seat at the small table and propped his head up with one hand. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Andries pulled out the other chair and sat next to him, his hand comforting on Lafferty’s shoulder. “The beginning.”
“The meeting went well. But I’ve got to tell you—” he paused and glanced at his phone, which had pinged him about ten times in the last few minutes. “Ugh.”
“Hey, what’s up?” Concern filled Andries’ voice.
He whipped his head up and stared into Andries’ eyes, wishing this was easier. “The account executive I met with was your dad.”
Andries sat back, his mouth wide. “What?”
“Oh, it gets better.” Lafferty grabbed a slice of pizza out of the box and took a bite. He chewed slowly then swallowed.
“I’m afraid,” Andries said.
“Oh, honey, you don’t even know.” His phone rang, and he pushed the button on the side to shut it up.
“Why are you getting so many calls?” Fear filled Andries’ face.
“We did a video meeting.”
“With?” Andries’ voice shook.
“My uncle and my dad showed up, well one of them. Gresh.”
Andries grabbed a slice of pizza and took a bite, finding it hard to chew and swallow. “Of course they did. Let me guess. My dad had to say something about our marriage.”
“Yes, why yes, he did.”
Andries glanced down at Lafferty’s phone, which was buzzing again. “And now your whole family knows — well thinks they know we’re married. Which is why your phone is blowing up.”
Lafferty nodded as he took another sip of beer. “I’ve received about eight calls. I only talked to my dad, Lane. Everyone else can wait their turn.”
“Shit. I created such a huge problem for you.” Andries jumped up, and Lafferty caught his hand. “I’ll tell my dad the truth.”
Lafferty held up his phone. “It’s spread too wide.”
“What do you mean?”
“Local paper picked it up. They made an announcement.” He pressed his phone screen and started reading the headlines. “Houston’s most eligible bachelor, Lafferty Miller, is rumored to be wed to a mysterious man. Will we meet him this New Year at the Cattle Ball?”
Andries’ nose wrinkled as his lips twisted up. “Cattle Ball?”
“It’s a huge charity event my family throws. We raise money for kids in foster care and ones who were kicked out of their homes. I’m expected to attend.”
“I’m sorry.” Andries brows bunched, and his eyes looked vacant.
Lafferty didn’t like the look at all. He moved to Andries and pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay. We’ll figure something out.”
At first, the hug had been a friendly gesture, then the warmth of Andries’ body, the scent of fresh shampoo along with something else, something stronger hit, and Lafferty’s balls pulled up. He stepped away from the sexy man and stuffed the desire. The last thing they needed was lust making this more difficult.
“I don’t want to cause you any trouble. You’ve been so nice. Because of this place, I was able to go out and get a job.”
Shock slipped through Lafferty. “A job?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing much, but there’s a market down the street, and the owner needs someone to run deliveries. Their normal guy is going back to college in January, and he wants me to train for a few days before Christmas. I’ll be taking packages to people in the neighborhood. Said it was mostly older people who can’t make it to the store.”
“Wow, your new job sounds great.”
“It’s only on Monday and Wednesday. They have someone else for the other days, but I’ve got to start somewhere.”
Lafferty was proud of Andries. It hadn’t even been a full day, and he’d already found somewhere to work.
“Hey, I have the rest of the day to myself. Let’s get you an updated ID.”
“Sure. Thank you. I’m glad my dad gave me the packet of stuff, like my diploma, birth certificate, and ID. It already helped.”
They spent the rest of the day running around the city, getting Andries’ ID updated with the address for the apartment. Then they bought him some pants and a decent jacket along with some shoes. On the way home, they stopped at a burger place and were ordering when a camera flashed.
Andries looked toward the flash, but Lafferty hid his face. He grabbed Andries’ hand and tugged him close.
“Don’t look.”
Andries blinked up at him, looking startled. “What are they doing?”
“I’m used to it, just not here. I’m a tiny fish in a huge pond in New York, but at home, it happens often.” The flashing stopped, and Lafferty glanced over to the window. “I’m not sure why they are following me here, other than someone is willing to pay for photos of us.”
“Oh shit. Are you kidding me?” Andries’ face filled with wonder. He didn’t know how annoying it was to live with cameras in his face all the time. People unfamiliar with having their lives splashed on the front page of the newspaper thought it glamorous, but it wasn’t.
“It may seem like fun, but this means someone could follow us to the apartment and try to get shots of us…um, well we aren’t having sex, but they would try, or they’d want other shit. Those rags love shots of couples fighting. I don’t have security here because I’ve never needed it. We’ll have to be careful and make sure we aren’t followed.”
“Security?” Andries whispered.
“Yes, security details. I don’t need it often, and never in a place like New York, but if they hound us, we may need to ask for help before we escape.”
“Shit. You’re serious.”
“Oh yeah, I am.” Lafferty placed their order, making sure Andries didn’t want anything else before he paid. He didn’t live a flashy life, and he tried to keep his fuckbuddies under wraps, but now, with his face being splashed in the papers, he was sure someone would come forward and tell tales of their sexcapades. And he had plenty of wild nights bumping uglies. Hell, he’d even had an affair with a Houston councilman before he knew who the man was. Then he found out the guy was married and had thr
ee kids. Kind of ruined the whole thing, and they’d parted with words shouted at the top of their lungs. Thank God no one had been following him.
“Are you going to be okay?” Andries asked as they headed to a table upstairs.
“I’ll be fine. But are you going to be okay?”
Andries shrugged. “I’ll be fine too.”
They ate mostly in silence, him trying to figure out a way to get the paparazzo to ignore them. They weren’t anything special. If the truth got out about their fake marriage, it would ruin Andries. Him, he could weather the storm, but his new friend and fake husband, he would be made out to be a scam artist.
After their burgers, they started their trek home, but Lafferty realized someone was following them. He said something to Andries about it, whispering in his ear, all the while thinking it would be so easy just to kiss him. But their relationship was fake, and any feelings he had for Andries weren’t real, at least not on Andries’ part. Lafferty’s stomach twisted because he was feeling something, he just needed more time.
“I have an idea,” Andries said.
“What?”
“Just follow me. Get off at this stop, and we’ll go up into the streets. I know a place we can get lost, and trust me, they’ll never follow us in, and if they do, they’ll be harassed to the point they’ll wish they hadn’t.”
Lafferty nodded and stood when the train came to a jerky stop. They headed up the stairs then moved to the streets, keeping a fast pace as they wove their way down alleys and into a run-down building that had seen better days.
“What are we doing here?” Lafferty asked when some guy stepped into the path, blocking them.
“It’s Star Killer, I’m just passing through.”
“Star Killer, you’ve cleaned up,” the guy said.
“Here. Take some money. Get some food.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll be seeing you around.”
They passed without any problems. Andries led them through the building, going down the stairs to a basement. They had to be passing under other buildings and maybe under a street. When they came out, they were far from the place they’d entered.