Chapter 14
Dante
At some point not too terribly long ago, I was a respectable man.
Most would call me serious or stoic, and some would go so far as call me downright boring.
Now I’m hidden in the bushes, clutching this damn blow-up doll that could pass for my twin, and I find myself reflecting on the increasingly questionable decisions that have led me here.
This has become a game between Theo and me. After my initial introduction to Wante at the studio, Theo left it there ‘for aesthetics.’ So, naturally, I did what any sane person would do, and waited until the next practice to get him back.
When he was distracted with Eric and Dmitri’s early stages of wedding planning, I tucked the doll into his trunk. It stayed there until he went grocery shopping a few days later, and my sleeper cell prank finally activated. It was a long con, and perfectly executed.
Theo sent me a selfie of his pouting face, holding Wante against his side. Broken eggs covered the ground around his feet, because the doll popping out of his trunk made him drop his groceries. Theo reenacted the entire scene for me the next afternoon in explicit, theatrical detail.
I want to feel bad about his lost eggs, but I can’t because we laughed too damn hard.
He only waited a single day to retaliate, and stuffed the half-inflated doll into my mailbox.
When I opened it, the rubber dick flopped out first, before the limp front half of the sex doll sprang forward like some perverted jack-in-the-box.
If I hadn’t checked it before the mailman came, he would’ve gotten the surprise of his life.
Which brings me to the here and now.
I’m crouched in the bushes outside Theo’s apartment, waiting for him to leave. I asked if he wanted to hang out tonight with the intention to sneak Wante inside somewhere for him to discover later, but he already had dinner plans. He took a rain check, but I know where he hides his spare key.
Now I’m here, hunkered down in the landscaping with a sex doll clutched in my hands, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Theo’s voice drifts around the corner before he steps into view, accompanied by another guy around his age.
The man is a few inches taller and bulkier than Theo, and he listens with a fond smile as they walk.
They move with the easy comfort of two people completely at ease with each other, and my heart sinks as their laughter carries through the evening air.
It never even crossed my mind that he might be on a date, and now I feel like the world’s biggest idiot.
Theo is smart, hilarious, and gorgeous. Of course guys are lined up, waiting for their chance with him. Just because I told him we couldn’t be more than friends doesn’t mean he’s taken a vow of celibacy.
He has every right to live his life, even if mine feels like it’s standing still.
Suddenly the bushes feel far too small. Discomfort crawls over my skin, and the urge to flee becomes overwhelming.
I drop lower to the ground, but in my haste, I snag the doll on a sharp twig.
Air rushes out in a long, ear-splitting whistle that shatters the quiet and rattles the leaves around me.
Panic surges through my chest as I scramble to find the leak before anyone notices.
“Dante? Is that you?” Theo calls, sounding perplexed.
I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Lightning would be a mercy.
“No,” I yell back in a weak attempt at a joke.
Leaves rustle as Theo’s smiling face appears above me. Here I sit, crouched like a pervert in the bushes with a rapidly deflating sex doll in my arms.
“What are you—oh my god! What happened to Wante?”
I stand and awkwardly brush the leaves and dirt from my jeans, offering a vague gesture toward the doll. “I, um… accidentally popped him.”
“What were you doing to pop him, huh?” Theo hedges with a wide grin.
“Fuck, no, nothing like that.” Heat flames across my scalp and neck, and I avoid the curious stare of Theo’s date. The guy has to think I’m some kind of psycho stalker. “I was going to plant him in your apartment and kind of snagged him on the bush.”
“This is fucking amazing,” Theo cackles, taking the doll from me and watching as it grows limper by the second. “I’ll have to patch the poor guy up. We can’t let him die!”
I shift my weight from foot to foot, searching for any graceful way to escape. “Well, you two probably want to get to dinner.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m being so rude. Dante, this is Sam.”
God, what a fucking mess.
I force myself to lift my chin and meet his eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Sam. I’ll, uh… I’ll let you guys get to it.
” Theo’s gaze finds mine again, his head tilting in silent question as I jerk my thumb over my shoulder like some awkward hitchhiker.
“I’m just gonna… go.” Before I can embarrass myself any further, I turn and hurry toward my car.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Fuck, I’m a goddamned idiot.
“Damn it, hold this,” I hear Theo say, followed by the unmistakable squeak of Wante being passed to his date. I’m mere steps from my car when a hand wraps around my wrist and spins me around.
“Hey, what’s that all about?” Theo demands, obviously hurt. “Don’t run from me.”
I force a smile. “I shouldn’t have just showed up after you told me you had plans. Don’t let me hold you up from your date, okay? Have a good time at dinner.”
Understanding registers in Theo’s eyes. “Dante, Sam is my brother.”
My emotions swing from embarrassed to elated to mortified so fast it leaves me dizzy. “Fucking fantastic,” I mutter. “I just met your brother… in a bush… with a blow-up doll that looks just like me.”
A few heads turn in our direction at his loud burst of laughter. “You sure did. It probably made his entire week.”
“I am so embarrassed,” I groan, dragging a hand over my face.
“You thought I was on a date?” he asks gently.
Annoyed with myself, I sigh and nod, turning my face up toward the darkening sky so I don’t have to look at him. “Yeah.”
“And you were jealous?” He scoots closer, leaning into me.
“Perhaps,” I mumble, still refusing to meet his gaze.
“You know how to keep that from happening, right?” he asks, knocking me with his shoulder. “If you take me on a date, I won’t be available to go with someone else. It’s so simple.”
I slide my arm around his shoulders, but Sam approaches and saves me from having to respond. The family resemblance is clear now that I know who he is, and Sam grins at me with that same mischievous gleam in his eyes.
“So, you’re Dante, huh?” he asks.
“I feel like maybe I shouldn’t admit that right now.”
“Nah, dude, my brother’s been talking about you for years. It’s great to finally meet the man of my brother’s obsession.”
“Samuel!” Theo gasps, lunging away from me to smack his arm. “You are a traitor.”
Sam ignores him completely, shifting Wante to his left hand and offering me his right in a firm handshake. He’s carefree and effortlessly charming, much like his brother.
Theo beams between the two of us before curling into my side. “What were you planning to do with Wante?”
“Ah, well,” I say, tugging at the back of my neck. “He was going to be waiting for you in the shower.”
“With a hidden camera?”
My eyes widen as I stare down at him. “What? Of course not!”
Theo grins, those sky-blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s a good idea, right? I could pretend I didn’t know it was there and strip in front of him while you watch the show. It could be a thing.”
My hands drag down my face again. “That’s not… a thing, Theo.”
“It could be! We should invent it. Sex dolls with hidden cameras.”
“You could name the company Guy Spy,” Sam offers.
“Manny Cam!” Theo replies with a delighted cackle.
I stare between them as they crack up, slowly realizing that whatever’s wrong with Theo is clearly genetic. He rests his cheek against my chest and smiles up at me. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
“Yeah, well… you’re always cute,” I respond, pressing a soft kiss to his hair.
“Even when I embarrass you?”
“Eh, maybe not then.”
He smacks my stomach with a mumbled, “Rude.”
“Yeah, Theo. Even when you embarrass me,” I say with a chuckle before pulling him into one more hug and stepping back. “You guys are probably hungry, and I’ve held you up long enough.”
“You could come with us?” Theo offers, clearly reluctant to let me go.
I give him another smile and shake my head. “No, I don’t want to intrude. Have fun, and I expect Wante to be fixed by tomorrow.”
“Guy Spy included?” Theo teases.
I shake my head. “Please don’t.”
Theo wraps me in another tight hug, but when he pulls back, his eyes have gone suddenly somber. He rises onto his toes, tugging gently on the back of my neck as his gaze drops to my mouth.
“Theo,” I scold in a whisper, mouthing his name more than speaking it.
He stops so close that we share the same breath. “Alright,” he finally whispers, before cupping my jaw and pressing a soft, lingering kiss to my cheek.
Sam claps me on the shoulder with an understanding smile, then they head toward Theo’s car.
A flash of movement near the corner of the building catches my eye, and my smile fades at the sight of a head of blond hair disappearing down the walkway.
Any trace of humor vanishes as I break into a jog, scanning for the man.
But among the handful of people scattered through the courtyard and parking lot, no one looks familiar.
Just as I start to convince myself my eyes are playing tricks, I spot the tall blond leaning against a car with his back to me. My heart pounds harder as I jog closer. “Hey,” I growl, stopping right behind him.
The man spins around with wide eyes, palms raised in surrender. “I-I’m not looking for any trouble.”
He is definitely not Jesse.
I cringe and immediately step back, putting a healthy distance between us. “Sorry,” I mutter, shaking my head as I give him another quick once-over. The resemblance from behind had been uncanny, but his face couldn’t be more different. “Thought you were someone else.”
He offers a strained smile while I apologize once more, then turn and walk to my car, silently cursing myself for being so paranoid.