Chapter 23 Daniel #2
“Hold on to that thought, dear. I wanna hear more about Elliot’s hookup!” she insisted while I grunted.
“Please. I don’t think it’s appropriate for the table.”
In response, my wife poked her tongue out. “Stop being such a wet blanket.” She dragged her eyes back to Elliot. “He might not look like it, but I promise you he’s not such a prude in bed.”
“I think I can imagine that,” Elliot said, touching the bite mark I’d left on his collarbone.
I tensed in my seat, and so to change the subject, I glanced back at the menu.
“I’m thinking about the veal,” I said.
“I think pig suit you more,” Elliot muttered.
I lowered the menu to glare at him.
“You know it says pork and not pig, don’t you?” I hissed, unable to hold back.
“L’anglais est tellement déroutant.” He shrugged. “English is so… confusioning.”
I rolled my eyes because he knew how to pronounce confusing and just pretended not to.
“The pork sounds delicious, but I also want to try the catfish,” Claudia said, lowering her menu to look between us. “How about we all just share?”
“Oui, sound good.” Elliot beamed, eyes locked with mine a second before Claudia looked at him.
“Yeah?”
“Yes. We could all share, Daniel.” The pause after my name was deliberate. “You agree?”
Elliot certainly made the most of Claudia’s naivety to believe that he was struggling with English and that it was all just poor wording.
But my situation differed, and every “innocent” comment he spat was well calculated and hit the spot.
That was one of Elliot’s great talents, to look rather clueless while not being so at all.
He was sharp as a knife, and I realized it a little too late because now his blade was pointed at my throat.
I thought of saying something when a waiter came to our table.
“Are you ready to order?” he asked before Claudia proceeded to order about half the menu.
Once he left, I looked at her with a raised brow.
“What’s with that look?” She frowned.
“Nothing. You just ordered enough food to feed a whole fleet.”
She ruffled her blonde curls before reaching for her drink. “We’re here to celebrate Elliot tonight, so what’s wrong with spending a bit?” Raising her glass, she smiled at him. “You were so wonderful this week that the whole industry is talking about you and you alone, my dear, so cheers to you.”
Despite the upsetting situation, I was still proud to hear how well he was doing. Moreover, my heart swooned at the first genuine smile that took over his lips tonight.
“It is not big deal.” He tried playing it cool. “All I do is wear clothes and walk.”
“Nonsense.” Claudia dismissed him with a hand wave. “You’re a true artist at your craft, and from what I heard, even Renieri are asking about you now.”
Despite not being big on fashion, I still recognized the name Renieri, the famous Italian brand, owned by Vito Renieri, who was a rather notorious fashion designer and businessman.
That man had taken a dying family brand and single-handedly turned it into one of the biggest fashion dynasties in the world in the span of a few years.
I’d once wanted to work with their USA brand, yet Father firmly refused because of Vito’s reputation, saying we should not associate ourselves with an Italian cocksucker.
My mood darkened with the memories, and I grabbed a bun from the bread basket. Tearing a chunk, I shoved it in my mouth and chewed while listening to the exchange of words between Claudia and Elliot.
“What you heard is a lie,” Elliot said as he circled the rim of his glass with his finger. “Because they do not want me.”
Claudia’s stare deepened. “There’s no way.”
He nodded. “There is way. They do not even call Robert back, and he say it is because I do not have… euh… what it take.” He used air quotes, and I frowned at him.
“Who’s Robert?”
Elliot’s attention moved to me. “My agent.”
“Renieri… You want to work with them?” I asked.
The table went silent for some reason until Elliot nodded.
“Oui.”
Noted.
“So, what are your plans now that New York Fashion Week is over?” Claudia asked, and I realized I hadn’t thought about it.
Somehow, I assumed Elliot would stay in the city, which was silly of me, considering how popular he’d become.
Because I was a rather pathetic man who hung on his obsessions, I’d followed Elliot’s tracks over the past year.
I bought any magazine he appeared in, asked around when it didn’t sound suspicious, and watched every show or commercial he was on.
I thought that admiring him from afar would be my best option and had attempted to stick to it until two nights ago, when I realized I couldn’t stay away, not when he was within arm’s reach—as he was right now.
Perhaps him leaving the city would be a good thing?
Because despite my wife sitting right next to me throughout this chaotic dinner, all I wanted was to take Elliot to the bathroom, strip him out of his clothes, and take him raw against the wall in one of the stalls.
I guess I am my Father’s son after all.
“So, what do you say?” Claudia asked as she nudged my shoulder.
“About what?” I scowled at her, realizing I’d been completely lost in my thoughts.
She tsked. “You didn’t hear a word we just said, did you?”
Moving my eyes from her to Elliot, I noticed he was staring at me, too, and the intensity in his gaze made me hot all over, as it reminded me of the expression he’d had when I pumped his cock in my fist the other night.
Heat rushed to my cheeks at the same time my dick took notice.
With discomfort washing through me, I shifted in my seat.
“Sorry, I got lost in thoughts.” I moved a hand over my jaw. “What were you two speaking about?”
“Elliot just said how he’ll be in town for a few days before he leaves for Milan.”
A few days. He’ll be here for only a few more days?
“He also said he’s going to a photoshoot in Greece, Tokyo, and then a car show in Milan right after, and I told him it’s right up your alley with how much you adore Italian cars.”
Greece, Japan, Italy, what next? He’s only twenty-one and already desired all around the world.
Apparently, nothing had changed since last summer, as I still wished him to be mine and mine alone.
Although now, with his career skyrocketing, it was impossible.
Even if that weren’t the case, I would have never sabotaged his success for my own pitiful whims. Still, I couldn’t lie about wanting a bit more of his attention.
And surely, for more than just a few lousy days.
“That sounds absolutely incredible, and I’m sure it must be fun, traveling worldwide, doing what you like,” I finally spoke.
Elliot’s eyes dropped to his glass as he continued to circle the rim. “It can be fun but very lonely, too.”
My heart clenched at his confession, and I wanted to tell him how lonely I’d felt in his absence. But I had no right to do so because I was the one who chased him away in the first place.
“This industry sure can be lonely,” Claudia said while nodding. “And not to mention competitive. I mean, if I experience the competition, I can only imagine what you guys are going through.”
Is she referring to the models?
Elliot’s expression hardened before he looked up and forced a smile. “It is. De toute facon…” Anyway. “We talk too much about me. How, uh… is Maya?”
Pressing her palms together, Claudia sighed. “Oh, she’s lovely. Absolutely lovely.”
And just as she began telling Elliot about how our daughter was doing, the food began to arrive.
Thankfully, Claudia didn’t stop talking for quite some time, which allowed me to enjoy the food without worrying that I needed to say something.
Elliot seemed interested, too, listening carefully and asking questions every now and then.
But from the look of his plate, which he hardly took a bite from, I assumed he was nervous.
Was it me? Or was this whole conversation overbearing to him?
“What about you, Elliot? Do you want to have kids one day yourself?” Claudia’s sudden question snapped my attention, and I straightened in my chair, eager for his answer.
Elliot also seemed to be taken aback, as his brows rose for a second before his expression fell, and he stared ahead at his empty glass, his fingers playing with the stem.
“Oui, évidemment que j’adorerais en avoir. Euh, how you say, yes… I?” He looked up to meet my eyes, and I felt bewitched under his stare.
“You would love to,” I said, voice soft as I translated it for him.
Elliot’s eyes lit with something before he straightened up and cleared his throat. “I would love to have kids very much, but it is not easy for me… euh… many reason why not.”
I never knew he wanted to be a father, but then again, he was only twenty-one, practically a kid himself. And yet, now that he’d said that, picturing him as a dad was almost too easy to imagine.
“I wouldn’t worry about that, sweetheart. I’m sure that when the right woman comes along, everything will be perfect,” Claudia said, probably thinking she was comforting him.
“Oui. The right woman,” he chuckled, for obvious reasons. “Is that what Daniel think when you met many years ago?” His smirk grew into a smile as his eyes latched onto me. “Was it… How do you Americans call it… Love at first sight?”
My breath caught in my throat as I fisted my hand under the table at the nerve he had to start another round in this dangerous game of his.
“Oh, it happened so long ago, but yeah. You could say that it was,” Claudia said as she placed her hand on my shoulder. “We were… what, twenty-two? Twenty-three? Anyway—” She turned back to look at Elliot. “He asked me out for dinner, and the rest, well, the rest is history.”
“How lovely.” He swirled his wine in his glass, then took a long gulp. After he swallowed, he clicked his tongue. “I bet Daniel is very good husband. Mhmm?” He grinned. “And you, Claudia, very good wife, too.”
She waved her hand in dismissal. “Oh, please, now you’re just flattering me.”