It was just plain fucking hot. But I’m also a hundred percent sure that that’s all it was… a really hot, and a really random, hookup with an older man.
As I walk into the kitchen with my bags, Jayson is reaching for a couple of slices of pizza from the microwave. “Hey man, I assume one of those is for me?” I say casually, doing my absolute best to seem as normal as possible.
Jayson shakes his head, and then grabs another plate from the cabinet. “I can’t believe he pulled that on you, Gav. I take it he found you considering you’re back?” he says, handing me a slice.
I wave off the slice of pizza. “I’m good. Not super hungry.”
“Bullshit, it’s from Kelly’s Deep Dish. We’re eating pizza together.”
I grab the pizza and take a seat at the slick, white marble table in the kitchen. “Yeah, your dad tracked me down which is probably a good thing, I’d be scoping out cardboard boxes right about now. Everything’s cool,” I say, avoiding eye contact with my best friend.
Jayson wolfs down a bite of his pizza. I catch him eyeing me suspiciously, and I have to force myself not to fidget. Call me crazy, but I’m a little bit paranoid after what I just did with his father. “What?” I say.
”Nothing, dude. I’m just glad my father came around, he was acting like a nut job earlier.”
"Yeah, thanks. Well, I’m sure I would’ve ended up fine either way,” I say, guilt washing over me and suddenly feeling discombobulated, like I can’t think straight.
“I don’t know about that, but we're all good now. You can stay here as long as you need to. Hell, my dad would probably rather you stay here than me, especially once he gets to know the real Gavin,” he says, pausing to stuff another bite in his mouth. “Not this quiet, awkward version who’s been lurking around all creepy and shit."
I shoot him a glare, only half-joking. ”Hey, at least your father still gives you access to the home you grew up in," I say. I feel like a bit of a dick, there’s nothing worse then one-upping someone when they show you a window to their soul.
But the truth is, things are horrible at home with my father and me. I can’t even call it my home anymore. And to make matters worse, the last fucking thing I need is for my best friend to think his father likes me more than him.
“I guess,” he says, shoving the last bite of crust into his mouth. He avoids eye contact with me as he gets up from the table.
“Everything cool?” I say.
“I should be asking you that,” he says somewhat sharply.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know, something’s just off with you. Since the moment I came home and saw you the other day, you didn’t look the same.”
I can feel my cheeks start to burn hot from Jayson’s inquiry. I look him dead in the eye, mustering up as much confidence as I can. “We haven’t seen each other in basically a year, Jayson. That could be part of it, no?”
He grabs a carton of orange juice from the fridge. “Sure, probably just need to get loose.”
I look at him for a moment, trying to figure out what the fuck’s wrong with him. Why is he prodding me like this?
Then it dawns on me… I should be trying to figure out what’s wrong with me instead.
Jayson walks towards me and hold his hand out for a casual fist pump. “I’m glad you’re here, man. You’re as much family to me as my own family. Maybe more.”
“Amen, brother. I feel the same way.”
I breathe easy knowing that the mood just lightened a bit.
For now.
“Are you coming out with me and Bones or what? We need to get laid, and Lansdowne Street is running that international food festival thing tonight. It’s like Whole Foods on steroids in terms of the talent that will be there.”
I force a laugh and say, “Yeah, just like the last time you said that. We brought those girls home and they went fatal attraction on us. That’s half the reason my parents hate me,” I say. “Plus, I can’t hang with Bones. Every time he drinks he wants to fight.”
Jayson raises his brows. “No, your girl went ballistic on you. You just couldn’t pull the trigger on that pussy.”
Well, that could be because I’m gay. But you don’t know that.
I can feel my palms start to clam up, just like they always do.
“Bones is dangerous. The guy picks fights with people just for fun. I’m all set, but don’t let me stop you from having a great time,” I say.
My friend shoots me a puzzled look. “I seriously don’t know what happened to you over the last year.”
“I think it’s commonly referred to as becoming an adult. That happens to college graduates. Maybe it’ll even happen to you once you finally graduate.” Jayson still looks disappointed in me as hell, so I add, “Look, we’ll kick off the summer tomorrow night. I’ll bring my A-game, promise.”
He looks me up and down suspiciously. “Fine, tomorrow night. You’re on. Don’t flake on me.”
“Like how you flaked on me by not being here to meet me when I first showed up at your house for the summer? Or like how you forgot to tell your father that I was staying in the first place?”
He shakes his head, his gaze defensive. “It shouldn’t have mattered. He hardly knows if I’m here, never mind my friend.”
I can feel the skin on my neck start to burn, me being an idiot and all for bringing up his father again. “Whatever, it’s all good. I need a shower, if that’s okay with you?”
He jabs my shoulder. “Better than okay. You smell like my dad’s cologne for fuck’s sake.”
Fuck.
I get so lightheaded I can’t stand up. I reach for the freshly bagged Wall Street Journal that’s sitting on the middle of the table. I start fiddling with the bag, pretending as though I hardly heard what he just said. “Thanks, Jayson. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I say with a sarcastic tone.
He puts his hand on the paper and says, “We’re like brothers, Gavin. I need you on that wall with me. You’re the only person I can be myself around, and I know you feel the same way about me.”
I force another small smile. “Absolutely, brother. Absolutely.”
Jayson seems content as he smiles and then walks off, leaving me all alone at the kitchen table, feeling like I might throw up in my throat. I hate lying to him… hate keeping this all hidden inside.
All of it.
Not just the situation with his dad, but the fact that I’m gay. My best friend thinks he can trust me, when really I’m just full of total shit.
I read through some of the front-page headlines on the Journal. I try to force myself to feel grateful, knowing that there’s some really bad shit going on in this world. Mass shootings, horrible wildfires… but somehow, it’s not helping me right now.
I sneak upstairs and make my way into the guest room that I’m staying in. This bathroom is literally more comfortable than my parent’s living room. I strip down naked and step into the glass-enclosed shower. I pump some of the organic lavender body wash into my hand and lather my body from head to toe. The warm water feels amazing, not like a normal shower head would ever feel. Even the shape of the tiles beneath my feet are unusually comfortable, like they’re designed to be therapeutic in some way.
I rinse off and grab a soft, white robe that’s folded to perfection and resting on a beautiful wooden shelf. I check myself in the mirror, the robe now on my body but not fully tied. Somehow, seeing myself in the bathroom mirror like this, half-naked, it brings everything that happened between Cole and me back…
In high def.
Part of my brain is wondering… how could I have done that? How could I have let that happen?
But the other part remembers…
It knows exactly the way his strong, sexy hands maneuvered my body. The heat that poured from his hard, thick cock as I pleasured him in my mouth. The way his fingers tortured and tantalized my asshole, a tiny glimpse of the unbelievable sexual explosion I would feel if a man like Cole Dunn were to ent
er me from behind.
I look down at my dick, already puffy and needy.
Why can’t I get this man out of my mind?
A moment of insanity washes over me and I’ve fucking had it. I self-declare that, from this point forward, I absolutely need to stay away from him… no matter how rude I come off, how long I have to hide in my room, or how late I’ll have to stay out at night just to avoid seeing him.
That’s it, that’ll work. Out of sight, out of mind.
Easy peasy.
I fool myself into a state of contentment as I crash my body down onto the world’s most comfortable bed.
My body starts to weaken as I lose consciousness, repressing the ache I still feel down below. Then I drift off into a painfully restless night of sleep.
That’s when I really should have known I was starting to go down a long, hellish road.
I wake up, determined not to let my lack of sleep, or the fact that I’m somehow supposed to avoid Cole in his own house deter me from having a good day.
I shower, shave, and throw on a pair of snug-fitting kakis with a white dress shirt. Perfect for the occasion.
My hopes of making it our early enough to bypass Cole are shattered before I can even make it down the stairs as voices from the kitchen seize my attention. The glossy, hardwood stairs beneath my feet are making too much noise for me to escape unnoticed, so I don’t bother trying.
I enter the kitchen and spot Jayson, flipping an egg and totally lost in whatever music is pouring through his headphones. Then I see Cole, and my heart starts racing. He looks up from his laptop, flashing a wry grin my way and pressing his full, perfect lips together.
“Morning,” he says, as if everything’s just so super normal. “Hungry?”
I glance over at Jayson who’s still lost and oblivious in his headphones. “I don’t like eating first thing. Can I just grab a drink of water?” I say.
Cole shoots me a disapproving look. “You should eat. Jayson’s making eggs. Dig in.”
I look over at the pan Jayson is standing in front of, his head bobbing mindlessly to his music. “Looks more like he’s making egg, not eggs.”
He glares over at the pan and nods in agreement. “Fine, he’s making egg. But I can make you some more.”
“I’m good,” I say.
Cole raises a brow and gets up from the table. I stop myself from swallowing, and staring, as he walks past me so close that I smell the familiar cologne he was wearing when we hooked up.
The same cologne Jayson could smell on me yesterday.
Cole walks over to his fridge and pulls out some more eggs. I can’t stop myself from stealing a glance at his tight ass and back muscles as he reaches into a lower cabinet for a pan.
Not cool. The way his muscles ripple in his white t-shirt, and his tight jeans… my body can hardly take it already. I glance over at the sliding glass door and literally imagine myself jumping right through it.
He walks next to Jayson and mutters something about him taking his headphones off. Jayson gives his father a double take, and then catches me out of the corner of his eye.
Great, everything I wanted to avoid this morning is suddenly staring me right in the face.
“There he is, the same guy who wrote the book on picking up women,” Jayson says, staring at me and pointing a spatula at my chest.
I pray that my cheeks aren’t burning red. I glance at Cole and can’t help but the notice the way his eyes narrow slightly.
He doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall, but the one thing he does know is the most important thing of all…
I’m a total fraud.
“Yeah, well, people change buddy. You might want to change too someday,” I say to Jayson. “Take it you had a good night?”
He shakes his head and fetches two pieces of toast from the shiny chrome toaster. “I change plenty, don’t worry about that. And yes, I did.”
I startle as Cole directs his next words right at me. “You’re all dressed up, what’s the occasion?” he says, his eyes raking my body like he’s undressing the fuck out of me with his mind while his son is semi-distracted with a coffee pod.
“There must be a librarian rally downtown today,” Jayson teases.
I glare back at Cole. I want to say… Why are you torturing me with your way-too-sexy devilish glare? But I opt for the less destructive route instead. “I have a job interview.”
Both men stop what they’re doing and pay me way more attention than I want or need right now.
Jayson looks at me like I have three heads, and then turns to grab a mug from the cabinet. I turn left and face Cole as he’s staring right through me. “What are you applying for?” he says, for some reason acting like he cares way more about me than he should.
I shrug my shoulders. “Some café in Davis Square.”
His eyes narrow. Again. “A coffee shop?”
I scratch the side of my head, wanting this entire ordeal to disappear, but somehow burning up inside from all the attention that Cole is pouring on me. “Is there something wrong with that?” I say, now drawing the attention of Jayson himself as though he’s been waiting his whole life to watch his dad face off with anyone but him.
But that’s not going to happen.
“Nothing wrong with that at all,” Cole says.
I almost let out a deep breath I’d been holding onto, but then he finishes his thought. “Nothing wrong with that if you happened to drop out of high school at sixteen. And if you didn’t just graduate from college and have the whole world in the palm of your hands.”
I glance at Jayson, who’s watching intently. Then I look back at Cole, my eyes strangely on the verge of tears, not that I’ll ever show him those tears. “I’m not ready for the whole world, Mr. Dunn. I just need to make some cash for now.”
Cole’s eyes soften, as though he can sense my fragility. And he wants to comfort me for some reason. “I get that, Gavin. But you’re better than this.”
“Am I?” I say. “Because I sent over forty resumes out and didn’t get a single response back.”
He nods, his eyes pensive as I fidget and wait for his response. “Jobs don’t happen that way. You need connections.”
“Well I guess therein lies my first of many problems. I don’t have a home, never mind any job connections.”
Cole half-smiles, which I’m learning is unusual for him. Even Jayson looks dumbfounded at his dad’s response. “Did I miss something?” I ask.
He checks his watch, the chiseled muscles in his forearm flexing as he bends his elbow. “I need to get cleaned up. Then you’re coming with me.”
My brows snap towards each other. “Coming with you where?”
“To my office. You can shadow me at my company for the day. If you like what you see, I’ll find work for you there.”
Now I’m really not hungry. “Okayyy. Thanks?” is all I can muster.
I’m screwed.
I can’t go to work with this man, but I can't not go either.
Then I notice Jayson out of the corner of my eye as he shakes his head and dumps the rest of his egg sandwich in the trash. Both Cole and I lock in on him, my best friend’s brows furrowed as he glares at Cole before storming out of the kitchen, and eventually right through the front door.
I swallow hard, feeling awkward as fuck as I look at Cole who looks only mildly disturbed, at least on the outside. “What’s his problem? I say.
He shrugs a shoulder casually. “I don’t know. I’m guessing he drank too much last night.”
A small part of me wants to go after Jayson, but I can’t. I can hardly deal with the proposal that Cole just hurled onto my lap, let alone some father and son drama. Plus, I have my own father and son drama to star in.
Cole throws up his hands, his dark, sinful eyes zooming in on me in a way that makes me want to run and stay all at once. “What time is your interview?” he says.
“Eleven. Why?”
“Give me a few minutes and we’ll go. I’l
l show you around, give you a feel for my company. If you don’t like what you see after an hour or so, I’ll drive you to your interview in time.”
“Fair enough,” I say back to him, glowing inside.
He smirks and then takes off his shirt.
Okay, so that’s really not cool.
I purposely turn away and pretend to be fascinated with the beautiful array of flowers in Cole’s meticulous backyard. “It’s actually not fair at all. Because I guarantee after you get a taste of my firm, you’ll forget all about your Starbucks interview.”
“It’s not Starbucks,” I say, my gaze determined not to look back at his ridiculously hot, shirtless body.
Cole laughs, his voice fading out as he walks off. “My bad. I’m showering. Be down in a few.”
Damn. Why do I keep letting myself go down these treacherous roads?
As I wait for Cole to come back down, I walk around a bit and try to grasp how anyone could ever make so much money that they can afford these kinds of things. I stop and study a Van Gogh tile mosaic hanging above the gas fireplace, a work of art that Jayson told me Cole bought for over twenty thousand dollars on a whim while he was doing some business in Italy.
Then there’s the “forbidden” living room, that one living room where Jayson and I were never allowed to enter when we were kids. His mom used to tell us she’d rather we destroy every room in the house, as long as we left this room unscathed. I look around in awe, my gaze especially drawn to the diamond-encrusted sofa at the center of it all.
I laugh to myself, remembering how Jayson and I would sneak into this room, pretending to be army soldiers, as we’d crawl across the Persian rugs as quietly as we could.
I flinch as a hand lands on my shoulder, a shot of adrenaline bolting down my spine. “The forbidden room? Really?” he says lightly. I turn and face Cole, his black hair combed to perfection and his cheeks and neck smelling like oats and honey from whatever soap he just used. God this man is beyond handsome.
“Damn that was quick,” I say.
“I do everything twice as fast as other men.”
I chuckle and add, “I’m old enough to not break shit in this room, don’t you think?”
Daddy's Brat Page 5
