The Hothead

by Myra Scott

  And it was all thanks to Devin, every bit of it.

  Still, I had the lingering fear that when I got to this meeting Zane had called, somehow, one of them would know about me bringing Devin to the lounge last night and I’d get crucified by a panel of my peers. Well, it would have probably been a little less dramatic than that, but my nerves were still riled up.

  But no matter what happened, I knew I had Devin, and that made everything seem possible. I could have started up a new casino of my own on the high that being with him brought me.

  My phone even had a message from him after I left. Okay, it was two texts. One was wishing me good luck and telling me to knock ‘em dead at this meeting. The second was asking me how to use my coffee maker.

  I braced myself, put my thumb on the security panel, and heard the lock click.

  Inside, everyone was already seated, and there was a smile on Zane’s face. I felt instant relief wash over me.

  And for the first time, I could look at Zane like the friend he was, with none of the baggage of my old emotions tugging at my heart. I had eyes only for Devin, and that felt so spectacular that I wanted to practically bounce my way into the office.

  “Glad you could join us, Gage,” Zane said with a tight smile. “Sorry about short notice, but I wanted to get everyone on the same page as early as possible.”

  “No problem at all!” I said cheerfully, making my way in. “Feels like we’re not in here this early that often, though. Suppose it’s too early for drinks, then?”

  “Someone’s in a good mood,” Bart said with a chuckle from behind the bar. “And yeah, you damn alcoholic, but you’re in time for something a little better. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, the real stuff.”

  All of us gave Bart a surprised look, and he raised an eyebrow at us. “What? I like some nice things. It was on sale.”

  We burst out laughing, and Bart swore at us good-naturedly as he poured some fresh cups of coffee for all of us. I had to admit, it was damn good coffee, but Bart was the last person I expected to be serving me luxury, imported drinks.

  “I swear, I’m gonna need to make it an Irish coffee if you bastards keep it up,” he chuckled, and finally, we all got settled into the couches. Zane smiled around at us all and stood up. He had a certain tell when he was about to announce good news. I wondered if he knew.

  “So, gentlemen, I wanted to drag your asses in here at much-too-early o’clock to give you all some exciting news that I’m sure you’ve all been waiting to hear.”

  Bart, Mick, and I all leaned in with smiles of anticipation. Despite the good mood in the room, there was still a healthy share of tension. Mick hadn’t made eye contact with me yet, and Zane was still being rather political in the way he spoke to us all. Bart was the only one who seemed totally his usual self, which may have been because he was the only one who I hadn’t pissed off. That, or he just didn’t give a fuck. That was Bart’s usual state of being, and it was hard to shake.

  “As of about six this morning, I have confirmation from my men on the ground that the new security system is in place and fully operational.”

  All of us clapped, despite the ridiculousness of doing so in a group of just four people, and Bart raised his coffee and gave a whistling cheer that made us all laugh. Zane grinned at our reactions, making eye contact with each man before continuing.

  “I’m also happy to report that Bart sent out job offers to some of his most promising candidates last night, and with the new systems in place, getting them trained while keeping an eye on the day-to-day operations will be smoother than ever before, even in pre-La Torre times.”

  “That’s fantastic,” I said, and Zane nodded at me.

  “And as if that weren’t enough good news for one day,” he went on, “I can proudly say that with interviews for new employees lined up through the rest of this week, that in eight days’ time, we will be able to resume our partnership with La Torre and get business back up and running at full capacity.”

  Mick and I both applauded that, and I saw a grateful and relieved glint in Zane’s eye as he saw my smile. He must have been dreading my reaction to the news.

  I was about to be the most surprising person at this meeting though.

  “I want to thank each and every one of you for bringing this all to my attention,” Zane said. “I know I can be stubborn sometimes, but I can earnestly agree that these changes are both long overdue and will help show us what the Sentry is really capable of, when it’s running at full capacity. So, with that said, congratulations to you all, and congratulations to the Sentry.”

  We all raised our coffee mugs as if in toast and scalded our mouths drinking too early.

  After Zane sat down, I stood up, clearing my throat. It was time to set a few things straight and bring my ego down a few well-deserved pegs.

  “Gentlemen, I have a few things to announce as well, if you’ll listen to me a little longer,” I said, and Zane gave me a cautious but respectful nod. “The first thing I wanted to bring to your attention is a security issue,” I said with a nod to Bart.

  He furrowed his eyebrows and nodded for me to continue.

  “There was an attack on one of our blackjack dealers last night,” I said. “Someone threatened him and followed up with a vicious attack on his person in the garage. He thinks this attack was linked to a dispute over some card counting that happened recently. I’ll pass the report along to you, Bart,” I said with a nod to him. “But I don’t expect them to act again any time soon.”

  “I know that look,” Bart chuckled. “You didn’t pull a Mick, did you?”

  Mick rolled his eyes as we all chuckled, but I rubbed the back of my neck. “Let’s just say what I did would make Mick look like a saint, but I don’t think these guys are the type to try to bring anything to court, if you know what I mean.”

  “That could mean something more serious is brewing, though,” Zane said in a more serious tone. “Forward that report to me, if you don’t mind. Let’s give this all the attention it deserves.”

  “Will do—I agree,” I said. “And on that note, I have a couple more things I’d like to say.

  I turned to Mick and Zane, who exchanged a glance, and I felt like they knew what was coming.

  “Zane, Mick, I want to apologize to the both of you,” I said with a heartfelt breath, looking at both of them with all the sympathy and affection that we’d always felt for each other before this escalated so badly.

  Mick started to wave the apology off, but I could tell he appreciated it, and Zane just watched me with a calculating face. I pressed on.

  “The past few weeks, I’ve been nothing but a nightmare for both of you. For all of us, really,” I added to everyone present. “You all know I’m a man with a lot of emotions that I have to keep in check, and lately, I haven’t done that. To put it simply, I haven’t lived up to the Sentry’s good name. Mick, the things I said to you were completely unwarranted. You reached out to me patiently and kindly, and I let my anger get the best of me. Thanks for being as patient as you were, and I’m deeply sorry for how anything I said hurt you.”

  “Thanks, Gage,” Mick said. “I appreciate it. And believe me, I know what it’s like to be emotionally trapped like that. It’s not easy for anyone on the best of days, even if you think you’ve got everything under control. You all know that about me better than anyone else, so I’d be the world’s biggest hypocrite if I was quick to judge other people for it.”

  “Come on, hug it out, you bastards,” Bart laughed, and Mick rolled his eyes before standing up and meeting me in a tight hug.

  When he broke it and sat down, I turned to Zane, taking a deep breath and looking at him long and hard.

  “Zane, I’ve been a jealous idiot,” I said simply, and Zane couldn’t help but chuckle while giving me a sympathetic smile. “Worse, I let my feelings endanger the unique, life-changing partne
rship the four of us have here together. I am frankly amazed that you’ve been as patient as you have with me. What you and Diego have is nothing short of amazing, and…” I trailed off, folding my hands behind my back. “And I had no right to try to break that up. I’m not half as subtle as I think. I’ve had more feelings raging inside me than I know what to do with, but a very close friend of mine helped me realize that those feelings were coming from the wrong place. Moreover, they weren’t really directed at you. I was confused, and this person helped me see things clearly for the first time.”

  I was hardly finished with the last sentence when Zane stood up to cross the short distance between us and embrace me in a tight hug.

  “Thank you, Gage,” he whispered to me. When we broke the hug, we put our hands on each other’s shoulders and beamed at each other like we were college students again having just survived one hell of an exam. “I knew you’d be able to get your heart right. You’re a strong man.”

  “Come on, don’t make me get teary-eyed in front of everyone,” I said, and the others laughed as Zane returned to his seat. “Really, though, everyone—I’m sorry, and thank you so much.” I paused, chewing on my lip before continuing. “I also wanted to mention that this person who helped me understand all this is more than just a friend to me. A lot more. He’s an amazing man, and…I think you can expect him to be around a lot more,” I said with a wink to everyone, and there was a more rowdy, boyish cheer that rippled through them all.

  “Attaboy, Gage,” Bart said with a big grin. Mick raised his eyebrows in surprise, but smiled broadly, and Zane looked happiest of all. It wasn’t just relief. He was really, truly happy for me, and I could finally be happy for him and all the joy that his relationship brought him.

  “Healing doesn’t happen overnight, though,” I said with a tone of caution in my voice. “I don’t want to pretend this little come-to-Jesus moment of mine means I expect you all to treat me like a king.”

  “But you wouldn’t mind that either, huh?” Bart joked, and I rolled my eyes with a grin.

  “Well, Gage,” Zane said, “consider everything water under the bridge from all of us, and I wish you and your new partner all the very best.”

  “And I look forward to seeing what the Sentry can do when we’re all working together at our best,” I said triumphantly.

  “Alright, alright,” Bart said, standing up, “I think this calls for a little celebration, so how’s about I break out that whiskey and spice these coffees up just a little?”

  “And spoil that sweet Jamaican flavor?” I teased Bart, who gave me the finger as he walked across the room back to the bar to get the whiskey down, and we all laughed.

  It felt good. It felt natural.

  Finally, things were back to the way they used to be, but they were better than that, even. I finally had a clear head, and from here on out, the future looked more beautiful than ever with these three guys and the best lover anyone could ask for at my side.

  Most importantly, I knew exactly who I was.

  I was Gage Taylor.

  And I might have been a hothead, but now that my head was on straight, nothing was going to be able to stop me.

  EPILOGUE - DEVIN

  “I’m so glad the merger is back on,” I declared, beaming as I looked around the table. Across from me at the candlelit booth in one of my favorite fancy French restaurants sat Zane and Diego, who were holding hands and scooted close together. Beside me, giving my hand a supportive squeeze, was Gage, the love of my life. Everything seemed too perfect to be true. Sometimes I still couldn’t believe my good luck. How had I managed to land the man of my dreams? How was it that I deserved such a joyous life?

  I glanced over at Gage, who nodded and grinned. “I agree. I mean, I caused such a ridiculous stink about it before, but honestly, now that all the kinks have been ironed out it will be great to have business booming like it was before,” he said humbly.

  “Si. I can’t wait to count how many people come flooding into El Puente once we open it up again. I’ve been getting emails and calls from old patrons left and right. They’re all so excited to have the club come back to life,” Diego remarked, taking a sip of his wine.

  “Yeah. It was definitely a smart idea to close up temporarily and regroup, I’ll admit. I fought it at first because, well, it was kind of our brainchild, you know?” Zane said, shrugging. There was a sheepish smile on his face as he looked over at Gage.

  I patted Gage’s hand under the table and he calmly replied, “I know. I totally get it. And I was an idiot for pushing it so hard and being uptight about it. You know me: when I get latched on to something I’m like a bull seeing red. One-track mind and all that. I think it all worked out well in the end though.”

  “Oh, definitely,” Zane responded. “It’s hard to let go when you’re so deeply, emotionally invested in an idea, but I’m glad we took the time to fix all the tiny issues, hire some new people so we aren’t so overworked and understaffed, and make sure we had a more bulletproof business model going forward. Sometimes I get so reckless when I’m excited about something, I forget to stop and look at the fine print.”

  “Usually, he leaves the tiny details to me. Zane comes up with these big, flashy ideas and I’m the one chasing after him with a calculator and spreadsheets to make it all happen,” Diego cut in with a wry smile. Zane rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

  “Yes, yes, you’re the smart one and I’m the reckless bad boy,” he sighed.

  I laughed. “You? A bad boy? That’s hard to imagine. I think out of the four of us, the bad boy would have to be Gage. I mean, look at that red hair! He’s the hothead of the group.”

  “Hey, now,” my boyfriend shot back with mock indignation. “I wouldn’t call myself hotheaded. More like… wildly passionate.”

  That made all of us laugh. The waitress came walking over to refill our glasses of wine. She bent down slightly and asked, “Excuse me, gentlemen, but are we ready to order?”

  I nodded, looking around at the group to make sure we were all in accordance. I smiled up at the waitress and replied, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll have the tomates farcies, s’il vous plait.”

  Gage said, “And I’ll have the bouillabaisse, je vous remercie.”

  Diego and Zane exchanged impressed looks and then ordered as well. The waitress nodded and walked away, leaving the two men across from us staring at Gage and me in surprise.

  “Wow, I never expected to hear Gage Taylor order a cold seafood stew in perfect French,” Zane said, folding his hands in front of himself on the table and looking at us with narrowed, critical eyes and a questioning smile.

  Gage and I looked at each other, pleased, and I felt my heart give a little leap for joy. No matter how much time passed, I never stopped feeling those butterflies in my stomach. Not once did my attraction and affection for Gage waver. He still made me feel as floaty and invincible as he did when we first got together.

  “Well, we’ve been taking French classes. In secret,” Gage admitted in a low voice.

  Diego exclaimed, “That’s wonderful!”

  “Yes, but that’s for a selfish reason. I wanted to be able to tell you how much I adore you in your own native tongue,” Zane remarked, giving Diego a wink, He turned back to us. “But you guys… why French?”

  I could hardly contain my excitement. “Well, we’re planning a vacation to Paris for this summer, and we want to be able to speak a little bit once we get there,” I burst out.

  “So much for keeping it a secret,” Gage chuckled, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek.

  “Oh, how exciting,” Zane said, letting out a low whistle. “Impressive.”

  “Gage is a much faster learner than I am, though. It’s like he’s a natural with French. Must be that MIT education in action,” I commented.

  “Oh, stop. Let’s not talk about my deeply geeky past,” Gage groaned, h
is cheeks going pink. He was remarkably brilliant, a fact that was often overshadowed by his boyish good looks and “passionate” disposition. He simply didn’t look the part of a nerd, but he absolutely was one at heart. The more time we spent together, the more he began to relax and let down some of his defenses. Underneath that white-hot temper and bad boy grin, he was smart, skillful, and thoughtful. It was amazing to see him in action. Sometimes on our game nights, we’d play strategy games or trivia games and Gage would beat me nearly every time. If I didn’t love him so much, it would almost be annoying. Plus, when he got all competitive with me his cheeks would get red and his hazel eyes would burn with the fire of the sun. It only made him hotter, and a lot of our game nights ended with intense lovemaking. Though, to be fair, almost any activity we did together tended to go that direction in the end. Which I was absolutely not going to ever complain about. Sex with Gage was as amazing now as it ever had been, except perhaps even better, because now… we were in love.

  “It seems like you have found another side to the Gage we all know and love,” Zane commented, looking at me. I blushed and nodded.

  “I think I have. And I am very proud of that fact,” I replied, smiling at Gage, who looked totally out of his comfort zone. He wasn’t used to people fawning over him this way. He preferred people to think he was tough and no-nonsense, when really, deep down, he had a silly, soft side nobody but me could reach. And I liked it that way. It felt almost like I alone held the key to a top-secret lockbox. Perhaps I did. Perhaps that lockbox was Gage’s heart.

  “Life really is good lately, isn’t it?” Diego mused aloud wistfully.

  “It is. It really is,” Zane agreed.

  Gage raised his wine glass and the other three of us followed suit. “To Sentry, to La Torre, to the grand re-opening of El Puente, and most of all… to us,” he announced.

  “To us!” we all chimed in, clinking our glasses together.

  As we lowered our glasses, Gage looked over at me, his eyes soft and full of adoration. I could feel my heart melting. He mouthed the words, “I love you.”