Chapter 24 Derrick
DERRICK
Today is the day. My stomach is in a ball of knots, and I think I’m going to throw up.
It’s the one-year anniversary party of Dirty Texas Records and Wyld Jones Boutique, as well as the launch of Wyld Jones men’s wear.
We’ve started to stock the range after I had a man stumble in and ask where the men’s wear is, and was very disappointed that I, as a gay man, was not supporting my friends in WeHo with stylish wear.
They were right, and when I mentioned this to Sienna, she encouraged me to go ahead and do it.
I love my girl. Of course, everyone wanted to help me on model casting day.
We have all been working our asses off to turn this event into something huge.
There’s a concert and fashion show, and we’ve invited celebrity guests, fans, and loyal customers.
“Hey, angel,” Christian says, greeting Vanessa, while we supervise the stage and runway being built over the pool.
Ness was lost in her thoughts and jumps when she sees her hubby. “Hey.”
“How’s it all going?” he asks.
“Great, just making sure this gets set up correctly. Most of the bands are here already hanging out in the cabanas.” She points behind where we are standing.
Camryn suggested VIP cabanas around the pool where people can party with rock stars.
I hear a squeal and turn around to see Ness’ cheeks are bright red and Christian is looking sheepishly at us.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, would you two stop your newly-wedded bliss?” I smirk.
“I was just trying to convince my wife to have a quickie with me in one of the cabanas.”
“Christian.” Ness gasps.
“You have ten minutes before I need her again. Think you can be quick?” Camryn tells Christian.
“Normally, no, but at the moment, yes.” He smirks triumphantly and hauls his new wife away to christen a cabana.
“They make me sick. But only because I’m jealous,” Camryn says as we watch them skip away happily.
“We all are.” I sigh.
“We’re a bunch of sad sacks, aren’t we?” Camryn chuckles.
“We’re not the problem, it’s men,” Isla adds.
I know Finn hasn’t told her about his little secret because I know she would have said something, or at least, I would think.
She confessed to me that she hooked up with him again in Vegas when I asked, and things have continued since coming back.
I tried to ask gently but she didn’t mention it.
I did, however, run into Finn at The Paradise Club the other night, and asked him if he had told her yet.
I know he’s sleeping with her again, even though he is at the club hooking up with other people.
Which I will never understand when he has someone as gorgeous as Isla lusting after him.
I tend to agree with her statement that men just suck.
Finn told me that he couldn’t find the right time to tell her, and he didn’t want to ruin what has been happening between them.
He did tell her he’s still going to the club when he’s not with her.
Guess, on a technicality, he hasn’t lied to her, but still, I don’t like holding this secret from her, she needs to know.
Sons of Brooklyn played, and of course, Chance looked so hot up on stage.
I supported him as a fan, not his lover, which sucked, but I wasn’t going to let that dampen my night, even if I’ve spotted him flirting with the girls from The Gypsy Sisters, who they know from Sienna’s wedding and are signed to the same label.
Pushing aside my feelings regarding Chance, I need to concentrate on my own future, which is looking brighter after tonight.
The menswear was a roaring success, and I’ve had a couple of actors come up to me and ask if they could arrange a time to talk about styling them for some events.
Hell yes! So, things are looking up for me, and that was the point of tonight, to showcase what Wyld Jones is about and what Derrick Jones, the stylist, is about to an elite clientele.
“Hey.” I feel a tug on my arm, and next thing I know, I’m pulled into the darkness. A sweaty body is pushed against me as soft lips capture mine as Chance kisses me. “Saw you dancing and singing to my songs.” He smirks cockily.
“I mean, it was a concert, that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
Chance grabs my dick and squeezes it, making it hard. “Don’t lie to me, I know you were screaming for me just like you will be when I get you home tonight,” he growls, biting my bottom lip. What’s gotten into him? He’s never this forward in public.
“Promises, promises,” I tease him.
“I’ve missed you, D. I haven’t seen you for weeks.” He pouts.
“Tonight, didn’t plan itself,” I remind him.
“And you did so fucking well. I’m proud of you. Does that mean you’re going to be my new stylist?”
“Can you afford me?”
“I can pay you in BJs,” he says, squeezing my cock.
“I do like a BJ.”
“Apparently, I’ve been told I suck like a Hoover,” he states, licking up my neck, sending goosebumps over my body.
“Really? I don’t believe it,” I tease.
“Want me to show you?” Chance grins as he starts lowering himself.
“Chance, we’re in public,” I say, stopping him. But those green eyes look up at me, and I see nothing but mischief dancing behind them.
“No one can see us, we are in a little cocoon here. Let me. I want to show you how proud I am of you.” He drops to his knees, unzips me, and shows me just how much of a Hoover he is.
Fuck. I’m gone for.
“Oh shit. No. No. No,” Chance says as panic rises in his voice.
“What is it?” I sit up in my bed.
“I have to go,” he yells at me.
“Chance? What’s happened?”
“They know. The world knows. Fuck,” he says, raking his fingers through his hair.
“Calm down, who knows what secret?” I try to work out what’s got him so riled up.
“This, Derrick, this fucking article outing me,” he says, thrusting the phone in my face.
Does Chance from Sons of Brooklyn have a boyfriend?
And it’s a photo of Chance and me leaving the shadows after he gave me the best blowjob of my life.
You can see it on our faces, it doesn’t look innocent as we smile at each other, but we aren’t holding hands, we aren’t even touching, but smiling because in that moment, I was at my happiest. It felt like we were taking a turn in the right direction last night, but judging by the way he is reacting, that was wishful thinking.
“I have to go. I need to fix it,” he says, grabbing his phone from my fingers.
“Is it really that bad that they think we are dating? Because we are.” I know what his answer is going to be as soon as I ask the question.
“Yes! This is going to ruin me. Ruin me, Derrick. How the fuck do you not understand that?” he screams at me.
I flinch at his hurtful words. “You would never understand,” he grumbles as he grabs his things.
“I have to fix this. I have to,” he mumbles over and over again as he disappears out of my bedroom.
I should follow him, but I don’t. There’s no point.
He’s made up his mind. I’m an embarrassment to him.
The slamming of my front door is the indication that he’s left, as I cry myself to sleep.
“Derrick! Are you here?” I hear a voice calling out to me.
Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I hear footsteps in my home. Panic races over my body as I jump out. Who the hell is here?
“Derrick!” It’s Sienna.
Rushing out of my bedroom, I’m met by the concerned faces of my girls.
“We saw the article,” Stacey says.
“And Chance’s press release,” Vanessa adds.
“We wanted to check on you,” Isla states.
“I’m so sorry.” Sienna crumbles as she hugs me. “He never deserved you,” she says, bursting into tears. I let her hug me because I didn’t realize I needed it.
“Go sit down, this calls for tequila and shit talking,” Vanessa states.
“It’s one o’clock in the afternoon,” I tell her.
“So?” She shrugs as I let Sienna walk me out to my living room.
“I haven’t had breakfast yet,” I mumble, still slightly confused over what’s going on.
“On it,” Stacey says, pulling out her phone. “What does everyone want? I’ll order us food.” The girls start shouting out their requests, and I give my own.
“I don’t understand. What press release are you talking about?” I ask them.
“Shit, you haven’t seen it?” Ness asks, bringing a bottle of tequila into the living room with shot glasses. I shake my head.
“I’ve got it,” Isla says, handing me her phone.
There in black and white is a press release from Chance under the Sons of Brooklyn banner, basically saying that I’m just a good friend of his and Dirty Texas, that I’m just his stylist, and that we were there celebrating my boutique anniversary.
His words hurt. And the worst part is, I believe them, and I know he does too.
“I’m sorry, D,” Isla says sadly as I hand her back her phone.
“What are you going to do?” I give her a shrug.
“I want to punch that asshole in the fucking balls,” Sienna spits.
“He’s a coward, D,” Stacey adds.
“We won’t let him get away with this,” Vanessa adds.
“Don’t,” I tell them. Look, I love my girls, but I don’t want them involved. “Chance has made his choice, and I’m going to respect that.”
“He hurt you, D. We won’t tolerate that,” Sienna tells me.
“Sweetie, I know you’re trying to protect me, but I’m okay,” I tell her softly.
“You’ve never been so calm,” Isla adds.
“I’m defeated,” I confess.
“Oh, D.” Sienna cries as she hugs me again. “You don’t deserve this. You gave your heart so willingly, and this is how he treats it.”
“I knew it was only a matter of time. We should have ended this months ago. He was never going to love me like I needed. And this article is the wake-up call I needed.”
“Well fuck him,” Stacey says, raising the bottle of tequila. “It’s his loss. Because we all know what a catch you are. There’s someone out there waiting for your love, D, and Chance was keeping you from finding it.”