There are some moments in life that you don’t ever want to end. You don’t want to fall asleep because you’re afraid that you won’t recapture that moment again. You just know there won’t be another time in your life when everything aligns so perfectly again. Then you wake up the next morning beside the person that brought you so much pleasure the night before, and you’re grateful that you get another chance to recapture those feelings again, or perhaps surpass the memory.
That was how I felt once I opened my eyes and stretched the next morning. I was ready to go forth and conquer, starting with my morning wood. I nestled into the covers and allowed my imagination to run free while I plotted the many things I could do to start Kyle’s day off right.
“Asshole,” I heard Kyle sneer.
“What?” I rolled over quickly and found Kyle reading the book I gave him.
“This Gideon is a real asshole,” he said. “Poor Jamie. He’s not responsible for what his father did. What kind of psychopath sets out to do something like this?” Kyle looked over at me suspiciously. “Should I be worried about how you can come up with such disturbing plots?”
“You don’t have to be a psychotic asshole to write about them,” I told Kyle. I took the book out of his hands and tossed it on the bed. “No one thinks Stephen King is actually a killer clown.”
Kyle laughed and said, “You have a good point.”
“There are times when hands-on experience has its advantages though,” I told Kyle. I slipped my hand beneath the sheet and fisted Kyle’s erection. “You don’t mind if I practice my skills on you so that the experience shines through in my writing, do you?”
“Use me, baby,” Kyle said magnanimously, kicking the sheet and covers off him. “It’s all in the name of art.”
“Welcome to Ambrosia’s,” the hostess said cheerfully. “Do you have a reservation?”
“We’re meeting Agnes Simmons and Jennifer Sugarbaker,” I replied.
“They’re both here already,” she told me. “Follow me, and I’ll show you to your table.”
Kyle placed his hand on the small of my back and gave me a little nudge. He had noticed how tense I was on the ride over and tried to talk me down from the ledge. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. You don’t owe them anything, babe.” I knew he was right even if I did feel a tiny bit of pressure to please my idol.
Agnes was the first to spot us as we approached. She smiled broadly and rose to her feet when she was certain that the hostess was indeed bringing us to her table. I had never posted a picture of myself on social media so she couldn’t be sure until I introduced myself.
“Please call me Chaz,” I told her. “This is my boyfriend, Kyle.” I never got tired of calling him my boyfriend.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Agnes said. “This is Jennifer Sugarbaker.”
Jennifer shook my hand then Kyle’s and gestured for us to have a seat. “Are you enjoying your trip so far?”
“I’m having an amazing time,” I told them. “I appreciate your interest in having me as a client, Jennifer. I confess to being a little baffled since I’ve only released one book.”
“I’ve known Agnes for twenty years, and her instincts are always right,” Jennifer said. “I cannot believe that you’ve only written one novel. There’s a maturity to your writing that most people only achieve after many years of experience, if at all. I have a dossier for you to take home and look over that will detail the services I provide and the fees I charge. I’m at your disposal to answer any questions that you have, but tonight I’d like to get to know you as an individual. I spend a lot of time with my clients, and quite frankly I want to work with people I admire and respect.” Jennifer chuckled and said, “Pardon my bluntness, but it won’t matter to me if you’re the most talented writer with the largest income potential if you’re an asshole. I won’t rep people I don’t respect or who reflect poorly on me. Tell me who Chaz Hamilton, aka C.B. Hesterson, is.”
Holy shit! I was basically auditioning to see if I was good enough to be one of her clients. What she said made a lot of sense, and I had no problem with it. However, I was known to blurt out the most awkward things at the worst possible time. I was certain my panic was written all over my face as I sat there staring at her with unblinking eyes.
“He knows a lot of things about assholes, but he isn’t one of them,” Kyle said when the silence stretched long enough to become awkward. “He sure can write them well. Wait until you meet Gideon.”
Kyle’s praise snapped me back to reality. While I wasn’t sure I wanted or needed an agent, I wanted to make a good impression, if for no other reason, to thank Agnes for believing in me. If that failed, I hadn’t lost anything because I had the most amazing man in my life.
“Honestly, I find talking about myself boring and a little pretentious. What does one say about themselves? Let’s see,” I said then tried to come up with something. “I wake up every day thankful for the life I have and the people in it. I have a wonderful family, the best friends a man could ask for, and an incredible man who makes all book boyfriends look like chumps.” I looked at Agnes and said, “Even your Alexander.”
Agnes gasped and clutched her chest playfully. “Shut your mouth!” There was no heat in her words, only laughter, and I was encouraged to let my guard down further and have some fun.
“I have a hairless cat named Harry, and I manage my best friend’s salon when I’m not writing. Although, I don’t plan on working there much longer. We hired a new receptionist who I think could fill my shoes in a heartbeat and a smoking hot new stylist that—”
“What smoking hot new stylist?” Kyle asked.
“I told you about Wren,” I answered.
“You said ‘we hired a new stylist today’ but neglected to mention he was smoking hot. You surely never told me about him.”
“Babe, get a grip,” I told Kyle. “I’m only interested because I think he’d make a great book character with his broodiness and mysterious vibe.”
“I see how involved you get in your ‘research,’” Kyle said, busting out the cutesy air quotes again. “I’ve been on the receiving end of it a few times.”
“Giving end too, if I do recall correctly.” I leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “Dr. Dimples has no competition for my heart.”
“Isn’t that the sweetest thing,” Agnes said.
I had been so wrapped up in my conversation with Kyle that I momentarily forgot where we were and what we were doing. He had that effect on me quite often. “Sorry for getting sappy,” I told the ladies, “and for oversharing.”
“Your personality is as refreshing as your writing,” Jennifer said then leaned forward. “Did you say that you have a hairless cat named Harry?”
“Yes,” I replied. “I planned to name him Dobby after the elf on Harry Potter, but it didn’t match his personality.”
“But Harry does?” Jennifer asked again.
“He’s stoic and serious like I expect someone named Harry would be and I—”
“Cut the crap,” Kyle said. “You named him after your ginger crush, Prince Harry.”
“Did not,” I said with a scoff. Okay, it was totally true. I vowed never to lie to Kyle again, but I saw his reaction to my comment about Wren. “Who told you that?”
“Josh.” Damn him.
“Did you know that Josh’s macaroni and cheese isn’t homemade? It comes frozen from the grocery store, and he heats it up then passes it off as homemade.” Not that Kyle ate the macaroni because of the carbs. “Tell everyone you know.” I’d get even with Josh if it was the last thing I did.
Agnes and Jennifer’s laughter once again pulled me back to reality. Jennifer was smiling and shaking her head while Agnes studied me closely.
“I know that look,” Kyle said to Agnes. “She’s thinking about making us into book characters.”
“I would, but no one would believe me. There’d be at least one person saying with shouty capitals that people
like you two don’t exist. I’d have to make you less adorable and sweet.”
I turned to Kyle and said, “See!”
The meal was scrumptious and the conversation even better. Agnes told us about her family and shared that her grandson, Chase, and his husband, Gray, were about to welcome their second child into the world. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on her great-grandson. It was one of the most memorable evenings of my life. I knew that I was going to sign with Jennifer’s agency before I even bothered reading the dossier. Sometimes you just knew the right fit when you found it.
I chuckled as I walked up the stairs in search of Chaz, although I didn’t need to follow the smell of coffee or sounds of his grumbling to find him. He was in his “cave” trying to sort his characters out, and it sounded like he was having a difficult time doing it.
“You never do what I want you to,” I heard him grumble as I approached the door to his office. “That wasn’t in the outline, Drew. You’re not following the script!” I had snickered when Chaz told me he used his fake gamer name in his latest book. He confessed that choosing names for his characters was one of the hardest things for him.
I entered the room, but he was too engrossed at whatever he saw on his laptop to notice me. Harry sat on the corner of his desk glaring at Chaz and swishing his long, skinny tail from side to side. I suspected Harry was more pissed about the ugly-ass Christmas sweater Chaz put on him than being ignored.
When we got back from New York, we gave up the pretense that we wanted to live separately. Over the next week, Chaz brought Harry over for visits to see how he got along with my pets. Otis looked at Harry like he was trying to figure out what kind of cat he was and Sadie just wanted to be friends. Harry acted like a royal prince and stared down his regal nose at my pets like they were peasants.
“It’s because they’re not wearing snazzy clothes,” Chaz had said. Sadie gave Chaz a look that dared him to try it.
The pets adjusted quickly and Chaz officially moved in the following week. I fucking loved having him under the same roof and knew I’d love it more when he wasn’t stretching himself too thin between the salon, his writing career, and finding time to spend with me. I suspected it was the stress of trying to be what everyone else needed that was the source of his frustrations rather than Drew going rogue on him.
“That damn Drew,” I said, pulling his attention to me. Chaz’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment like they always did when I caught him talking to himself, his characters, or sometimes his cat. Who the hell was I to question his methods? “What’s he done this time?”
Chaz blew out a frustrated breath and said, “He’s rushing the damn storyline again. If he keeps this up, the book will be four or five chapters shorter than I planned.”
“Maybe he’ll take you to new places and reveal new plot points,” I replied, sounding like I knew what the hell I was talking about.
“It seems that way, but I don’t like it,” Chaz said. “I prefer he just follow the damn script.”
I wanted to kiss the cute pout off his lips, but it would deter me from the reason I searched him out in the first place. The surprise baby shower was his idea after all. Gabe and Josh thought everyone was coming over for chili and football playoffs, or “the next biggest sporting event,” as Josh called it. Still, what would one little kiss hurt?
The doorbell rang before I could put my plan into action. “It would seem that our guests are starting to arrive.”
“Perfect timing because this book has gone to hell in a handbasket. These characters will be the death of me.” Chaz pushed his chair back from his desk and stood up. “The only thing keeping Drew from falling down an elevator shaft in a freak workplace accident is his damn dimples.”
“Dimples do come in handy,” I agreed.
“When have you used them to get out of trouble?” Chaz asked, following me down the stairs.
“I was thinking more along the lines of snagging a guy.”
“What guy?” Chaz asked fiercely.
I stopped on the steps and turned to face him. “You.”
“Oh, in that case…”
I shook my head and continued down the stairs. “I think you’ve been hanging around Gabe too long,” I announced. “You’re starting to drag your knuckles around like he does whenever he sees a guy get too close to Josh.”
“You should see him keeping an eye on things at the salon now that Wren works there. He didn’t drop by this often to see Josh when they lived above the salon,” Chaz said. “Of course, you’re not much better.”
“Me?”
“Don’t act like you didn’t bust your ass getting to the salon to buy styling crap for your hair after we returned from New York.”
“Do you say ‘styling crap’ when you talk to the clients?” I asked, changing the subject.
The sneering smile said he knew what I did there, but he didn’t call me out on it because I opened the door to greet our first guests. We gave them an arrival time that was thirty minutes earlier than the one we gave Josh and Gabe. Luckily everyone was punctual, so I could stash them down in the basement where we set up the party.
Even though Josh and Gabe expected our friends to be there, they didn’t expect them to yell, “Surprise!” when they walked down the steps.
“What’s all this?” Josh asked, looking around the room in surprise. I thought the pink and blue balloons, cupcakes, and decorations were pretty obvious, but that ginormous stork that Chaz bought for a centerpiece should’ve been a dead giveaway.
“Oh wow,” Gabe said in awe. “You guys didn’t have to do all this for us.”
“Like there’s any way in hell we’d let this occasion pass without a celebration,” Mere said. “Those little angels will be here before you know it.”
“Probably sooner than we planned,” Josh told us. “The doctor put Renee on complete bedrest to try and delay labor for another week or two.”
“Is it too soon? Will they be okay?” I asked.
“It’s more of a preference and precaution than a necessity,” Josh said. “Their weight is good, and they’re healthy, but the doc wants them to bake as long as possible.”
“Of course, he uses baking terms,” Chaz teased.
“We’ll be heading to Florida the day after tomorrow, and we’re going to stay there until after the babies are born.”
“Are we ever going to learn their names?” Harley asked. “Or are we going to keep calling them Baby Girl and Baby Boy like they refer to them on the ultrasound pictures?”
“We’re keeping it a surprise,” Josh said.
“Bonnie and Clyde,” Adrian suggested. “Perfect names for a lawman’s kids.”
“Very funny, partner,” Gabe said. “Not even close.”
“Beavis and Butthead,” someone else suggested.
It went downhill from there, and we shared big laughs at the things people came up with until Chaz said, “I’d bet big money that you name your son Dylan to honor Gabe’s brother.”
Josh and Gabe smiled sappily at one another. “Dylan James,” they said at the same time.
“You’ll never guess our daughter’s name though,” Josh said. Of course, we wouldn’t let that challenge go untested. We tossed out every name we could think of—some sweet and some ridiculous—but Josh and Gabe kept shaking their heads.
“I think we have to tell them,” Josh said to Gabe. “It feels like we’re playing favorites with our kids otherwise.”
Gabe nodded his head. “I agree. Her name is…”
“Destiny,” Emory said with a huge smile on his face.
“Destiny Renee,” Josh and Gabe said at the same time.
“That’s so beautiful,” Meredith said.
“Is it me or does anyone else find Emory’s psychic timing suspect?” Adrian asked. “What else are you keeping to yourself?” Gabe’s partner studied the man through narrowed eyes. Emory stiffened, but I couldn’t tell if he was shocked or irritated.
Psychic? I looked arou
nd the room and I was the only one who looked surprised to hear that Emory had psychic abilities. Not even the club owner, Jonathon Silver, was shocked by the revelation. Hell, Emory couldn’t stand that guy, but he somehow knew Emory’s secret before me. Of course, I thought that Emory only wanted us to think he didn’t like Jonathon Silver. I had seen him checking out the dark-haired, blue-eyed man when he didn’t think the guy was looking, which wasn’t often. Jonathon Silver seemed to know where Emory was every second that they shared the same room.
“Do you really want to know?” Emory asked with a hint of sinister in his voice.
Adrian swallowed hard then shook his head. “No, thanks, buddy. That takes the fun right out of life.”
“That’s good because I honestly don’t do parlor tricks,” Emory replied with a hesitant smile. “Besides, it was a lucky guess, not a vision.”
Everyone laughed at Emory’s comment, but there was something about his tone of voice that had me questioning if he’d just said that to make people more comfortable. Or, maybe he was sorry that he said anything at all.
“Let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Chaz said, “then you guys can open your presents.”
The food was the catalyst to get people’s minds off of the nearly awkward exchange between Adrian and Emory. I saw Adrian seek Emory out and have a private conversation with him. I figured Adrian had picked up on Emory’s discomfort and tried to make the man feel more comfortable.
I enjoyed the party with our friends, especially seeing how happy and excited the expectant fathers were when they opened their gifts. Even so, the exchange between Adrian and Emory stayed on my mind long after the party ended and everyone went home. I was able to ignore them while I made love to Chaz, but they returned full force once we lay cuddled together in bed afterward.
Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville, #1) Page 21
