I hugged her too tight and didn’t let her go. “I was an idiot. I had no idea how consumed I’ve been with Lucas and school.” I stroked her hair. “You know I love you.”
She started crying, something I hadn’t seen her do since high school. “I’ve really missed you.”
“Me too. I hate fighting with you.”
“So much that you took a vacation without even telling me. I found out on Twitter, Kyle. It sucked.”
“I’m sorry. Truly I am, but you were out of line that night too. This thing with Lucas and me… I need you to be supportive. If you can’t be supportive, then I at least need you to be quiet.”
She opened her mouth to protest, and I huffed out a warning noise. She closed her mouth and nodded slowly. “I will try.” I glared at her because we both knew that wouldn’t cut it. “I will. Full stop.”
“Okay. So, are we over this now?”
“You take me to dinner tomorrow and you’re forgiven.”
I froze.
“What? Kyle, I swear if you tell me you have plans with Lucas, I will kill you right here.”
“No. It’s not that. Tom and Judy are in town. They want to have dinner with us.”
“Your parents are here?”
“Yeah.”
“Have they met Lucas?”
“Yep.” My retelling of my parents’ arrival and our breakfast had Kayla howling in laughter, like old times.
When I’d finished, she regarded me again. Genuine sadness had erased her smile. “Is Lucas living with you?”
I bit my lip, all but confirming her suspicions. I couldn’t remember a time when Kayla didn’t know every mundane detail of my life. She knew when I changed the batteries in my smoke detectors, if I’d gotten a new shirt or if I’d gained a single pound. It seemed unfathomable that she wouldn’t know I’d given Lucas a key.
“Yes. Lucas still has his lease, but he’s pretty much moved in. He has a key.”
“Wow. You and Matt were together two years before he moved in.”
“This isn’t like with Matt, Kayla. It’s so different. I can’t even describe how perfect he is for me.”
She nodded, and a hint of a smile softened her stone-faced concern. “Is Lucas going to dinner?”
“No. He offered to, but he actually wanted me to invite you instead.”
“I’d like it to be for us, if that’s okay. But bring him to the wedding.”
“Thank you. And if you’re up for it, we can grab lunch sometime. You are both important to me. I want you to love him.”
She nodded tentatively. “I’ll try.”
And I knew she would.
Chapter Seventeen
Nothing could have prepared me for Taco Tuesday.
Shortly after my parents’ visit, Lucas received word that he’d been nominated for an award. The ceremony would occur the following month, and while he’d previously won several fan-based and industry awards for ‘Best Newcomer’ and ‘Best Top’, that marked his first time being recognized for ‘Best Performer’. Several other models from Goldenboys and Case had also been nominated in different categories. Lucas warned me, because of that, Taco Tuesday would be rowdier than usual and offered to blow me on our way over. Lucas was right. It did take the edge off my anxiety.
We arrived at Case and Robert’s home shortly after sunset. The ‘Mansion’, while spacious and lavishly decorated, didn’t quite live up to its nickname. After being in the business for so many years, I couldn’t overlook the quality of workmanship and architectural features that distinguished a true mansion from a cookie-cutter home that happened to be swimming in square footage.
The Everwoods welcomed us in. The musky smell of sweaty boys and cannabis clung to the air. Lucas kept hold of my hand like I was a toddler near a busy intersection as he introduced me to a ton of people, only one of whom, Cole, I recognized. We gathered around a large island where Robert was mixing margaritas.
After two drinks I no longer fought the urge to pace, and we took a seat at the patio table with Case. That lasted a few minutes until a hoverboard appeared, and Lucas shot up and started giving piggy-back rides to his friends on the space-aged skateboard. But every few minutes, I’d catch Lucas doing a silent check on my well-being.
As I watched Lucas, Case eyed me. “Lucas is a great kid.”
“Man,” I corrected.
Case laughed warmly, small lines wrinkled the corner of his eyes, “Sorry. I met him when he was definitely still a kid.”
Case’s image of a naive, virginal Lucas was hard to reconcile with the kinky man who’d sucked my dick like a Hoover in the car on the way to the party. “I’m sure.”
“In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him this happy.”
“He’s excited about his nomination.”
“No,” Case said, “before that. He’s always been ambitious, but now he’s… I don’t know. Focused, maybe? He told me about your plans for Oregon. He asked us if we thought our marketing team could be run remotely.”
“That dream’s a long way off.”
The doorbell rang, and another large wave of models entered the house. Shortly after, Case excused himself to help Robert, and I searched for Lucas.
I located him on the cement edge of the hot tub, his feet dangling in the water. The two occupants, both of whom were naked, doubled over laughing at something Lucas had said. I shored my face to remove any traces of judgment or jealousy.
“Hey, babe,” Lucas greeted me.
I smiled as he scooted over to make room. I toed off my shoes and rolled up the legs of my pants while Lucas placed a towel for me to sit on. I eased my feet into the scalding hot water.
Lucas talked to his friends, mostly about the awards ceremony in Las Vegas the following month. Case and Robert were paying for all the nominees to go and bring a plus one. It seemed Cole, who had been nominated in a ‘Best Twink’ category, was being heavily lobbied by a new model, Jack, to be his plus one.
“Is your boyfriend going with you, Tommy?” Jack asked, batting his eyelashes as though asking for a cookie.
I turned to Lucas. “You taking me to Vegas?”
Lucas bumped his shoulder against me. “Of course, if you want to go.”
“Sorry, Jack. You need to find your own man.” Lucas’ gaze fixated on me, clearly surprised by my willingness to join him. He’d been so delighted to be nominated, I couldn’t imagine not being there to help him celebrate.
Cole splashed Jack. “Yeah. Get your own man.” Cole beamed at me, and I blushed under his admiring gaze. Lucas and Cole alternated putting Jack in his place. Apparently asking for perks before a single scene had been released was frowned upon. A few minutes later, Jack left the hot tub in a huff.
“Does Tommy call you Daddy?” Cole asked innocently.
I chuckled. “No, but sometimes Lucas does.” I took a big swig of my fourth—or was it my fifth?—margarita and swallowed. They went down so much easier now that my lips were numb.
“If you were my man, I’d call you Daddy all the time. I’d like to be tied to your bed so you could take turns on me. Hell, you could do me together.”
The suggestion sent margarita flying from my mouth and nose. God, it burned. I used the back of my hand to clean my face. “Um… Thank you? I think,” I choked out. “But we um… We don’t do that.” I coughed a few times and dared a peek at Lucas. He shook with tittering laughter.
Cole puffed his lips out and he rose to his feet, displaying his waiflike, hairless body and prominent erection. “The offer is open.” He used my thigh as purchase to lift out of the hot tub, bringing my face within inches of his dick. I averted my eyes back to Lucas, who proudly watched Cole walk away.
He turned back toward me and stared, jaw slacked. Silently, I gauged his interest in Cole’s offer, the margaritas having convinced me the topic was worthy of discussion. Then, I remembered Judd Fisher and Kayla’s commentary about how I’d rejected the threesome offer without even a conversation. I didn’t w
ant to repeat that mistake and Lucas did say Cole could take two dicks like a champ. That wasn’t an offer one got every day. “You interested?”
Lucas cocked his head, his nostrils flaring, then shot to his feet and declared, “Well, I’m not nearly drunk enough for that convo,” and disappeared into the house.
He returned with two more margaritas and a plate full of tacos and motioned for me to join him at the table.
Lucas’ friends were fun, if not a little crazy. Some of them, like Jack, were highly immature and generally acted like a bunch of schoolboys who had just discovered what their dicks could do. Lucas gravitated to the handful that seemed older, content to drink and smoke in moderation, including Case and Robert. I followed him, generously lubricating my anxiety with delicious cocktails while Lucas documented our night for his social media accounts.
By the end of the evening, I’d skipped right over tipsy and landed face first into drunk. I must have fallen asleep because I recalled Lucas nudging me around midnight, informing me it was time to go.
Lucas woke me the next morning with a phone and ordered me to call in sick. I fought him long enough to determine the head-splitting hangover was close enough and made the call.
“No more Taco Tuesdays for you,” Lucas said and placed a glass of water and ibuprofen on my bedside table.
“Ugh,” I grumbled. “I’m never leaving our bubble again. Bad things happen out of the bubble.”
Lucas grinned and forced the pills into my hand. “Take these. Coffee’s brewing.”
“Sleep,” I pleaded and yanked the covers over my head.
I woke again in the early afternoon, having graduated from roadkill to zombie. Lucas was on the couch, watching some property show and typing away on his laptop.
I smacked my lips and ran my tongue over my teeth. “I feel like something died in my mouth.”
“Yeah. In hindsight, you probably should have listened to me and stopped before the ninth margarita.”
My mouth puckered. “Nine?”
“Don’t blame me. I tried to stop you at five. Cole is responsible for six through nine.”
“I think I might be too old for Taco Tuesday.”
Lucas’ eyebrow peeked. “And for Cole’s offer?”
I waved him off. “Tequila is evil.”
“You’re only allowed to drink tequila around me now.” Lucas laughed, but his relief was palpable. If I hadn’t felt like vomiting, his jealousy would have turned me on.
“How about you go to Taco Tuesday solo, and I’ll plan something with Kayla?” I plopped next to him and put my head on his lap, ignoring the hard plastic against my scalp. Lucas laughed, relocated the laptop to the table and stroked my hair.
“Sounds like an anti-date night?”
“Think of it as a ‘let’s maintain our friendships’ night.”
He jabbed a finger into my chest. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me it was Kayla’s birthday when I suggested dinner that night.”
“I can’t believe I forgot. It’s all your fault. Love makes me stupid.”
He pressed a kiss to my forehead and gave me my smile. “You’d better not forget my birthday.”
“It’s on April Fool’s Day. Hard to forget.”
“And yours is next month, which happens to coincide with the Vegas trip. Is that okay?” Lucas asked.
“Yeah. Forty-one requires no fanfare.”
“It’s your first birthday as my boyfriend. I want to do something special.”
He was so freaking endearing. If my mouth didn’t taste like ass, I would have kissed him. “Dinner and a blow job are fine. Don’t go crazy.”
He shook his head. “I’ll need the distraction. I spoke with my parents this morning and gave them my blessing for Vietnam. They’ll likely be gone for Christmas.”
I tilted my head and rubbed his cheek. “I’m proud of you,” I said. His eyes misted over. “You’ll be here with my parents and me, right?”
“I can’t wait.”
That settled, I relaxed and let him take care of my stupid ass. Lucas recounted his memories of the previous night, highlighting some of my less-than-flattering moments. “Kayla is going to die when I tell her about Cole’s offer.”
Lucas cracked a smile. “Not sure that’s going to help my ‘win Kayla over’ campaign. Make sure you tell her I’m the one that threatened Cole with a violent death if he didn’t knock it off.”
Yep, I loved Lucas in green. But I smiled because Kayla was still the first person I wanted to call with a good story. “I will. She’s going to be so impressed that I didn’t flip out.”
Chapter Eighteen
Kayla and I had the first of our ‘Tony Tuesdays’ after the fall semester ended. We’d spoken on the phone nearly every day but an undercurrent of tension remained that I was anxious to get rid of before Patrick’s wedding.
“Two rigatonis, please.” I closed the menu and handed it to our server. Ordering our favorite meal in a restaurant that held so many memories was cathartic. I took a sip of my wine and relaxed as our reunion began. “So, we have some things to catch up on. I’ve fallen in love, been propositioned into a threesome involving double penetration by the twinkiest of twinks and plan to attend the gay adult entertainment awards next weekend. You know, same old, same old. What’s new with you?”
Kayla rolled her eyes and swirled her glass. “I’m now Tracey’s maid of honor.”
“Get out,” I cried.
“She and her friend had a falling out. Apparently, I’m the only one that can stand up to a bridezilla, so I got the job.”
“Your mother?” I laughed.
“I assume she was the head of the nomination committee.”
“So, you and Matt are in charge of the bachelor and bachelorette parties? I’m dying to hear the details.”
“Matt’s going full stripper I’m afraid. I figured you would know. It’s next weekend because his one groomsman was home for the holidays. We aren’t doing ours until closer to the wedding.”
“Naked women or gay porn stars? Hmmm. Tough call. What are you doing?”
She laughed. “I’m a classy girl. We’re doing a bar crawl and spa day weekend.”
“Nice. Very Tracey.”
She tipped her glass, and I clinked it.
“What else is new?” I asked.
“I got a promotion.”
“Oh my God, that’s awesome.”
Her smile faltered and she hesitated. “It’s in Portland.”
“What?” I gasped.
“I’m going to take it. It’s an Associate VP position.”
“You deserve it.”
“Well, since I married my career, it’s a good thing I’m good at it.”
“You’re not just good at it. You love it,” I said.
“I do. My mom isn’t happy.”
“It’s your life, Kayla. Do what makes you happy.”
Her smile returned and she sighed. “Lucas has changed you.”
“He has,” I agreed.
“For the better.”
“I know.” I smiled.
“I want to know him before I leave.”
“You will.”
She aimed her finger at me. “You’d better come visit me.”
“Try and stop me.”
The rigatoni arrived, and we shared our first and last Tony Tuesday together. Kayla fell into her old habits, advocating both for and against the threesome with Cole.
“Something is enticing about sharing a man with him, but I think it’s one of those fantasies that would be best to leave there,” I said. “Lucas gets jealous easily. I think he would do anything I wanted, but honestly, I think he’d regret it later. And if it changed things for us, I’d never forgive myself.”
She opened her mouth and closed it suddenly. She thought a minute and said, “You’re right.”
My eyebrows shot up. “I’m right? Can I get that on a T-shirt?”
“When it comes to Lucas, I think you should follow you
r gut.”
* * * *
‘Follow your gut.’ Kayla’s words were front and center in my mind as the Las Vegas Strip grew larger in the window. Lucas squeezed my hand, and my breath quickened as the wheels bounced upon landing at McCarran. My gut told me not to ask Lucas what was wrong. He’d talk to me when he was ready.
“Vegas, baby.” Case’s voice came from the row behind us, and the Goldenboys contingent let out a collective ‘whoop’ that made the flight attendant cringe, but Lucas remained stoic. I sent a silent plea to him. Talk to me, baby. Tell me how to help.
We piled into the terminal and navigated past the temptation of clings and clangs from the slot machines. Vegas had an infectious energy that could infuse the dead, and Lucas, despite being off, had perked up considerably by the time we’d checked into our hotel.
I set our bags down on the large bench that ran the foot of the bed and fell on the king-size mattress. The place was swanky, with a large bathtub and shower complete with seat, a full-size couch, a desk and not one, but three armless chairs. I wondered if he’d want to fuck against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. That could be hot. I used the remote near the bed to open the blinds and went to check out the view of the gondolas floating on the water.
“Come look at this,” I said to Lucas, but he gave me a distracted nod and stared at his phone, his lip tucked in between his teeth. The fact that Lucas had failed to notice our numerous options for getting busy spiked my anxiety.
“What’s the schedule?” I asked.
“My mom is going to call at six. It’s nine a.m. in Hanoi.” He checked his wrist and seemed unbothered by the lack of a watch.
“That gives us a few hours.”
“Okay. But I might miss their call in the casino.”
“How about we get some lunch and explore the hotel? I’ve never stayed at The Venetian. We could do some shopping.”
Lucas paced and started unpacking to process his nervous energy.
The Story of Us Page 21