18. Dylan
Chapter 18
Dylan
“ W ill you two stop?” I laugh, batting my sister’s hand away from my tie. “Honestly, there’s no need for all this fuss. I already went to the prom.”
“ Bleh , with Eric Discher. How could we forget that creep?” Cassie asks, sharing a look with my dad.
Okay, so my taste in guys has never been great.
“We’re just excited for you, son,” my dad chimes in, fixing a piece of my hair.
“Guys, seriously.” I move out of their reach. “Jake and I are going as friends because his girlfriend is throwing the event.”
I might have had a lapse in judgment a couple weeks ago at dinner and sort of forced him to his knees, but it won’t happen again.
“Yeah, his girlfriend who’s a cover for the fact that he wants to do you ,” Cassie says right in front of our father.
“Oookay, Cass. I don’t talk about you doing your boyfriends in front of Dad, do I?”
“No, but that’s because I don’t have any.”
“Neither do I,” I grumble, knowing it’s useless.
“This is a big opportunity, Dylan,” my dad says. “Your boyfriend aside—”
“He’s not my boyfriend, ” I grumble. But my dad presses on like I didn’t say a word. “You’ll be rubbing elbows with a lot of people who could pour into our business.”
I nod, but stay quiet. I don’t really want to talk shop tonight.
“And Jake’s coming to pick you up, that’s so cute!” Cassie says, shaking her fists in excitement. “Let me have this.”
“Oh my God, can we move on, please?” I beg.
“Come on, Cass, let’s give the man some breathing room,” my dad finally says, dragging my twin away by her arm.
“But we haven’t covered safe sex yet!” Cassie wails as I kick my door shut before turning to my reflection in the mirror. I went with an all-black suit. I’d rather blend in than stand out tonight. My black hair is mostly behaving itself. I left my five o’clock shadow in place, hoping to use it as a shield if necessary and I also feel like it makes me look older. My suit is a little tighter since the last time I wore it, but as long as I don’t have to fight anyone tonight, it should be fine. The only pop of color I have is my tie: light blue to match my eyes — Cassie’s suggestion.
For all my insistence that Jake and I are going as friends, and as hard as I’m going to try to stay on the correct side of the moral code tonight, I still want to look my best. And if I’m brutally honest, I want to make Jake a little hot under the collar because I’ve already seen him in a suit several times and I have no doubt that I’ll be hot everywhere .
He shows up right on time and rings my doorbell.
It feels so juvenile…until I open the door.
Standing with his hands in his pockets looking like a younger and hotter version of James Bond than I’ve ever seen, Jake rakes his eyes over me and whistles. “Well. This is going to be hard as fuck.”
My lips twitch at the compliment and the lust in his eyes. “At least we’ll suffer together.”
Cassie appears in the doorway. “Jake, wow . You look stunning.” I’m terrified my sister’s about to ask if she can take our picture, but thankfully, she keeps her mouth shut as Jake takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. Not that I don’t want a picture, but I don’t exactly want Jake to know my sister knows his biggest secret. Asking for the picture might give it away.
“Thank you, Cassie.”
Breathless she asks, “How are your eyelashes so long? Honestly, that should be a crime.”
Jake cocks a grin that stirs low in my stomach. “Good genes. Do me a favor?” he asks my sister.
“ Anything .”
Damn, I think my sister actually has the hots for my boyfr…fuck…my… friend .
“Grab a picture of us?”
My heart stops in my chest.
“Of course,” my sister replies. Too stunned to speak up, Cassie does it for me. “Dyl, hand me your phone. I’ll take one with yours too.”
“Oh, uh, sure.” The coy smile she’s wearing tells me she knows I’m dancing on the inside.
I stand with my feet shoulder width apart and clasp my hands together in front of my crotch, tilting my head slightly toward Jake, somehow managing to keep my expression neutral. To my surprise, Jake wraps his right arm around my waist and shoves his left hand in his pocket, a closed-lipped, confident, GQ smile on his face.
“Dyl, this isn’t your headshot for acceptance into the mafia. Relax. Mirror Jake. Smile. ”
While slightly embarrassed, I appreciate her directing me to touch him more. When I wrap my arm loosely around his waist, he grips mine tighter, forcing me into his side.
Smile in place, I whisper through my teeth so only Jake can hear me. “You’re making this harder than it already is.”
“I disagree,” he whispers back. “It’s already as hard as it can get.”
Knowing he’s talking about his dick, a half-snort/half-groan escapes from between my lips.
Cassie snaps the photos on both phones and hands them back to us. I catch my dad leaning against the doorframe that leads to the kitchen and I recognize the concern in his eyes. I wish I could say it wasn’t warranted, but we both know it is.
“Have fun tonight,” is all he says.
Jake leans in to give Cassie a hug goodbye.
“God, you smell good, too. Why can’t straight guys give half as much of a fuck about how they look and smell? Hones—” she clamps her hand over her mouth as Jake turns to look at me. The only thing different on his features is the slight raise of his brows.
I hold my hands up. “Don’t look at me, she had you pegged way before I did.”
“Interesting choice of words,” he deadpans.
“Jake, it’s true,” Cassie starts. “I mean Dyl and I basically share a brain anyway, but we’ve had a lot of customers over the years and the only ones who look at my brother like you do, are, well, the ones who want to see him naked.”
“ Cassie! ” Our dad bellows, pushing off the doorframe, finally coming into the living room. “Have some class, woman.” Turning to Jake my father says, “Look, Jacob, we appreciate your situation is troubled at best. Your secret is safe with us and you’re always welcome here, but you need to figure out your intentions with Dylan before he gets his heart broken again.”
I can’t believe this is happening.
“Okay, I think we should go.” I flash a look of annoyance at my family before turning back to Jake. “That is, if you even still want me to go.” I know they’re only trying to help, but not only is this new, Jake and I are still trying to figure out what the fuck is going on without these two adding the pressure of a timeline.
Jake scrubs a hand down his face. “No, he’s right, Dylan. And of course, I still want you to come with me.” Looking back at my dad, Jake blows out a breath. “To be honest, sir, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, but the last thing I want is to hurt Dylan. This is new to me and at the moment, I’m unable to extricate myself from my current relationship so that I can pursue your son freely, but I’m determined to find a solution.
My dad nods, satisfied for the moment, and Jake and I head out to the Corvette.
“Jesus Christ, I’m sorry about that.”
“Exactly how many of your customers want to see you naked?” he grumbles, causing me to laugh.
“Don’t listen to my sister.”
“Well, she was right about me and I’ve been hiding it for years.”
“It doesn’t matter who wants to see me naked because no one’s going to,” I answer, trying to reassure him.
We open our doors and slide into the seats. Jake starts the car, but then leans over the barely-there console, supporting his body weight on his right elbow and cups my face with his left hand. “Since the cat’s out of the bag anyway and I have to behave myself the rest of the night, can I kiss you? Just once?”
“We’re supposed to be going as friends,” I remind him, my resolve already fleeing as my body turns toward him without my consent.
“I can’t kiss my friends?” he asks innocently, inching closer to my mouth.
“Do you kiss Knox or Phoenix or Hudson?”
“I might if they’d let me.” He’s teasing, but he licks his lips and I hate the thought of him kissing anyone except me so I sit forward an inch and close the distance between us, pulling his top lip between mine.
“I don’t fucking think so.”
So much for going as friends . Damn Jake for playing low ball and tapping into my jealousy even after I tried to appease his. By the time we pull apart, I’m sporting a painful erection and I’m ready to ditch this entire night and just drag him to my bed, the consequences be damned.
He must feel the same way because he’s twisted his hips, rubbing his dick along the console between us, searching for relief. I want nothing more than to touch him, to feel him heavy in my palm again, but there’s Cora to consider.
“Jake, come on,” I breathe as his lips move to my neck, clouding my thoughts. “I can’t be the only one to hold strong here or else I’m going to have to stay away from you entirely.”
“Shit,” he mumbles, finally pulling away from me and plopping back down in the driver’s seat. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Hands to myself from now on.” Playfully he adds, “But also, fuck you for looking so goddamned hot. The way that tie brings out your eyes means I’m going to be hard all night.”
“Should make it easier to fuck her after the event at least.” I hate this jealous side of myself and try to take it back as quickly as I can. “Damn. That was an asshole thing to say, I’m sorry.” He nods, but stays quiet as he fastens his seatbelt and I know I’ve hit a nerve. “Jake, I’m sorry .”
“You said that already.”
“I fucking hate this, man. In the short time we’ve known each other, you’ve got me thinking things, feeling things, wanting things I can’t fucking have.”
I’m not usually such a Debbie Downer, but this is exhausting.
“Just don’t cut me out. Please, ” he begs. “I’m trying to figure something out, but it’s going to take time. I can’t go back, Dylan. I can’t go back to not having you in my life.”
Fuck, I love how he says my name.
He reaches over and laces our fingers and I let him because we both need the comfort. We don’t say anything else until we’re pulling up to the valet and he squeezes my hand before letting go.
We get a few curious glances as we enter the banquet hall together, but Jake wastes no time introducing me as “a good friend of his” and people are gracious enough to accept me and move on. Most likely, they assume I have money and belong here if I’m at Jake’s side.
I learn — and instantly forget —about thirty people’s names before we find Cora. She looks breathtaking in a long, deep purple silk dress. Her blonde hair is in short, thick, fancy waves. It looks effortless, but no doubt took at least an hour to style. She has a stunning gold pendant on a chain around her neck that I’ve seen before. Her fingers are playing with it as if she’s nervous and I suppose nerves are understandable given the number of people in attendance tonight. Her eyes light up when she sees us and she gracefully ends her conversation to give us her attention.
Jake places his hand at the small of her back and gives her a lingering kiss on the cheek. She doesn’t even turn her face to offer him her lips which I find interesting. Perhaps they consider that tacky at these events. Wouldn’t matter what event it was, I’d kiss Jake’s mouth every ten seconds just so people knew who he belonged to.
“Cora, you’ve outdone yourself. Everything is absolutely perfect,” Jake compliments her.
“Thank you,” she beams. “Dylan, I’m so glad you could make it tonight. I always feel so guilty leaving Jacob at the table alone.” She leans in and gives me a kiss on the cheek like she did in Jake’s office and I kiss the air next to her like I’ve seen in the movies. I look over to find Jake hiding his smile, but giving me a nod like I did what I was supposed to.
“Jacob, we’re all at table seven,” she says with a full-wattage smile.
As we turn toward our assigned table, I can’t help but offer Jake the undeniable truth. “She really is a beautiful woman.”
“As beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.”
His words create a low wave of nausea in the back of my throat.
Our table is set for ten which means there are a lot of people around us that I don’t know…and one that I do. The brunette’s eyes widen as soon as we approach the table.
“Hello, Jacob,” Whitney says as Jake leans in to kiss her cheek.
“Whitney,” he replies with a nod after removing his lips from her skin.
“Dylan, you look ravishing.” I expect her compliment to be laced with seduction, or anger over how I left our last encounter, but surprisingly, the whole interaction is benign. I shake her hand instead of giving her a kiss since I’ve only met her once before and I’m afraid she’s going to linger, but she surprises me by dropping my hand quickly.
“Well, what do you think?” she asks, spreading her hands and holding them up, inviting us to take a look around the space.
Jake and I both swing our gazes around the room again. Taking it all in, I notice the attention to detail. The silk bows on the backs of the chairs are a lime green to match the color of the muscular dystrophy ribbon. Cora’s managed to quiet the loud color with black tablecloths that almost touch the floor and black chair covers. The tables are adorned with lime green napkins and each table has a flower arrangement in the center containing white, purple, and lime green flowers.
String lights artfully hang around the stage where a string quartet is playing softly. Even the waiters and waitresses are wearing black and white with lime green aprons tied around their waists.
The crystal drinking glasses on the tables look more expensive than my family’s entire dishware set and the silverware is embossed with the country club’s crest.
“I’d say it looks amazing in the way it can only when Cora gets a hold of something,” Jake answers. His eyes are warm and full of pride.
Before I can answer, Cora, herself, swings back by our table and wraps her free arm around Jake’s waist, clutching her cell phone in her other hand.
“The silent auction is set up along the back wall. There’re some great things to check out,” Cora gushes before looking down at her phone. She smiles as she pulls her arm from Jake’s waist and responds to a message. When she looks back up, she glances at the door and her face falls. “Oh shoot, the Lancasters just arrived. I’d better go say hello.” With that, she turns and immediately gets swallowed by the crowd of people that have pushed their way into the room.
“Shall we sit?” Jake asks, planting a hand on my back this time, guiding me to my seat. The touch sends sparks along every one of my frayed nerve endings.
We haven’t been seated long when Jake and Cora’s fathers stride up to the table. Jake stands to greet them, so I follow suit.
“Father, Governor Cosey.” He nods his head and shakes their hands before turning to me. “You remember my friend Dylan.”
The governor holds his hand out first. “Of course. Dylan, nice to see you again. Tell me, how are things at the shop?”
“Thankfully, the vandalism has slowed down a little, but I fear the damage to our street’s reputation has already been done. We continue to lose customers daily,” he admits.
Martin shakes his head. “I’m so sorry to hear that. And the woman who was shot? Is she pulling through?”
“Thank you for asking, yes, they’ve moved her to a rehab facility and she’s started walking again.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
Not even trying to hide his sneer or bothering to hold out his hand, Jake’s dad says, “I expect you know the rules for a function like this?”
“ Father ,” Jake growls in warning.
“No need to get defensive, Jacob. Whether you’re acting like it or not, this is a big night for Cora and I want to make sure there will be no distractions.” Jake’s dad turns his slithery, reptilian gaze back to me and has the audacity to say, “Nice of my son to elevate your status for the night. Please remember you represent his future wife this evening.”
It isn’t lost on me the way he emphasizes the word wife as if he somehow knows what Jake and I have been up to.
Jake’s eyes nearly bug out of his head, but it’s the governor who speaks first.
Clapping a hand on my shoulder, he says, “We’re glad you’re here Dylan. Make yourself at home and excuse my friend. He sounds like he could use a glass of bourbon.” The governor looks at Jake’s dad with a stern expression.
The men quickly greet the rest of our table and then Jake’s dad pulls him aside for a whispered word I can’t hear, but Jake’s body language tells me he doesn’t like what’s being said.
I pull my gaze off the men as they finally retreat and turn my attention to Whitney who’s in the process of scooting closer to my chair.
She leans in, bracing herself with one arm across the back of my chair and one on my forearm. With her mouth pressed almost against my ear, she whispers, “Cora knows.”
Suddenly, the air is too thick, my tie is too tight, and I need more space than this table can accommodate.
With rapid breaths, I pant, “Excuse me, I need a minute.”
I wind my way through the throng of people until I push through the doors leading outside and hide in the shadows of the building, trying to catch my breath.
I shouldn’t have come here.