28
T hank you,” Remy said, taking his drink from the bartender. He turned his attention to the large ballroom.
The Christmas party was in full effect, and everyone was having fun. There was food and drinks, a talent show had been held, and people took turns stepping onto the raised dias and partaking in karaoke. It was amusing.
Several people who’d participated in the talent show had Remy wondering if the talent was in the room with them, and some now singing karaoke were obviously tipsy. He couldn’t help but shake his head as a slurred, off-key, and offbeat rendition of “When Dove’s Cry” ended, and soft music began to play. He knew if nothing else had ever made someone roll over in their grave, that had done the trick. The DJ must have thought so since they were taking a break from amateur performances.
“I’ve never heard anyone so tone-deaf in my life.”
Remy glanced over at the newcomer to find Henry standing there. It was the first time they’d seen each other at the celebration. Or, at least, it was the first time Remy saw him.
“I’m sure the alcohol didn’t help,” he responded, turning his attention back to the crowd, his eyes zeroing in on Alijah and Lawrence dancing together.
“Will you be participating in the next round?” Henry asked.
“That isn’t my wheelhouse. You?” Remy inquired to be polite.
“I might. I can at least hold a tune better than that.” He chuckled .
Lawrence must have felt Remy looking at him because he turned his attention, and they locked eyes, his boyfriend smiling at him before returning his attention to Alijah and saying something.
“Big plans for the holiday?” Henry asked, and Remy looked down at him.
“Just the usual.”
“Same.” Henry bit his bottom lip before smiling at him.
It made Remy wonder if he was being too friendly. Technically, Henry hadn’t done anything to make him uncomfortable or crossed any lines, though he could always tell when the other man was flirting with him. He didn’t even know how the other initially found out his sexual preference. It wasn’t like Remy hid it, but people usually guessed his orientation wrong.
He wasn’t blind, either. Henry was cute and tiny compared to Remy. If he had to guess, the other man stood five-five or six, but cute and tiny wasn’t what Remy was attracted to. It was for someone, but not him. Those two things tended to clash with what he enjoyed in the bedroom. He didn’t want to have to hold himself back constantly.
His eyes swung back to Lawrence, who was approaching them. Lawrence wasn’t cute; he was pretty. He always took everything Remy wanted to give him and asked for more, but it wasn’t just physical. They connected on a level he hadn’t with anyone else, and they could give the other what they needed.
“You look nice,” Henry stated, pulling his attention.
“That’s such an understatement,” Lawrence responded, joining them, pressing himself into his side, and Remy wrapped his free arm around his waist. “I almost asked him to wear something else because I knew birds would flock.” Lawrence turned his attention to him. “What are you drinking, babe?”
Remy handed him the glass in response. “Baby, this is Henry; he works in our legal department. Henry, this is my boyfriend, Lawrence.”
Henry seemed to blink himself out of Lawrence’s sly insult slowly. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Lawrence responded, stepping out of Remy’s hold, taking his hand and pulling him away .
“You’re adorable when you’re jealous,” Remy teased as they sat at a table on the other side of the room. “Rude, but adorable.”
“I’m not jealous,” Lawrence lied. “I also wouldn’t have to be rude if you didn’t feel the need to be friendly.”
Remy raised a brow at him. “We work together.”
“You work for the same company in the same building, not the same department. Technically, you don’t work together , and he shouldn’t have been flirting at a work event. So unprofessional.”
“And you calling him a bird at my work event, wasn’t?” Remy asked, taking the glass from Lawrence.
“I didn’t call him a bird. I made a general statement. If he took it personally, that’s his problem. Besides, you act like you’d get fired if I did. There is only one person who can let you go, and you know Kieran's not doing that.”
“Not doing what?” the mentioned man asked as he and Alijah sat down across from them.
“Firing Remy because I called some man flirting with him a bird,” Lawrence supplied.
“So you were calling him one?” Remy teased.
“Semantics.”
“Was it Henry?” Alijah asked before Kieran could respond.
“Yes,” Remy replied.
“He tries to get with Remy a lot at work,” Kieran supplied unhelpfully, and Lawrence snapped his attention to him.
“I already told you about that,” Remy said to his boyfriend before glaring at Kieran, who smirked at him. He had informed Lawrence someone at work was subtly flirting with him; he hadn’t given him a name. “The same way I’m sure Kieran told Alijah, Rebecca snuck past security yesterday and cornered him in the elevator.”
“What?” Alijah asked, and Kieran’s smirk fell from his face. He glowered at Remy for a second, and he returned it with a look that said, Don’t play with me.
“Baby, I told you that right after it happened,” Kieran responded.
“You said it was some crazy woman. Not that it was Rebecca.”
“That’s literally the same thing, gorgeous,” Kieran tried to smooth over .
Lawrence sighed, and Remy returned his attention to find him shaking his head. “You’re horrible. You get in trouble, and now he has to.”
Remy smirked at him, gripping his chin and brushing his lips against his. “Absolutely, and I’m not in trouble.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because you aren’t being a brat,” Remy responded, nipping his bottom lip. Kieran cleared his throat, and they pulled apart.
“As entertaining as I’m sure that would have gotten,” he started with an eye roll. “Are you doing the auction?”
Remy nodded. He and Lawrence had spoken about it, and his boyfriend hadn’t minded him participating. It probably helped that Remy gave him free rein to bid whatever he needed to win.
“She chose five attached men to participate. I don’t see why I can’t write a check and be done with it,” Kieran stated, and Alijah sighed.
“I already told you why. The bidding is an entertaining show. Besides, there are ten single men for the others to bid on and have a chance with. It's also the fault of you four because of your bickering last year. Let's not forget we were engaged, Chayse and Nik were dating, and we still participated.”
“Because I wasn't going to let anyone outbid me. You should be more worried about this,” Kieran responded. “I’m a catch. Someone could outbid you, baby,” he teased. Remy and Lawrence chuckled while Alijah snorted.
“Nobody else on this planet can handle you like I do, but I’m willing to lose the bid to let someone try if you're so convinced they can.”
“Don’t play with me, Alijah.”
“Don’t play with me , Kieran.”
“Mm, but I want to.”
“As entertaining as I’m sure that could get,” Remy stated, cutting them off, and Lawrence laughed, leaning into his side.
“O uch!” Lawrence exclaimed, not knowing whether he should soothe the sting from the pinch he’d just received on his arm or the smack on his butt.
“What did I just tell you?” Rita asked.
“I was trying to help,” Lawrence countered.
“By stealing pieces of bacon?” his mother asked. “Get out,” she followed up, not allowing him to respond.
“If you two didn’t insist on cooking enough food to feed an army for breakfast, I wouldn’t have to steal it like a beggar on the corner.”
He was assaulted again, and he moved out of reach before either woman could land a third type of punishment on him.
“This is child abuse and neglect,” Lawrence stated with a pout. He snapped his attention to Remy, who chuckled from the living room and glared at him. “I’m glad you find it funny. My stomach is eating my back, I’m dying of hunger, and you’re laughing.”
“Stop being dramatic, and come here,” Remy responded.
Lawrence huffed, walking over and sitting beside him on the couch. “Your dad had the right idea. I should have stayed asleep until breakfast was ready.”
“I’m not sure how you were going to do that when you woke your mom and me up,” Remy countered.
He had him there. Lawrence had woken up earlier than he intended and had been too excited for some reason to go back to sleep. Maybe it was because it was the first Christmas he was spending with someone he was dating in years. He’d been single the past several times, and it’d been him and his mother, with stops to see his father or him coming to them occasionally.
Lawrence and his mom had stayed at Remy’s last night. The five of them decided to have Christmas Eve dinner and a nice breakfast for Christmas so they could spend the rest of the day relaxing. He’d been excited to exchange gifts and ensure everyone enjoyed what he’d gotten them, but his mother and Rita had been dead set on having breakfast first. He hadn’t minded, but almost an hour and a half after waking up, they weren’t eating, and he was starving .
“Should I take you in the bedroom and occupy you until they finish?” Remy questioned softly against his ear.
“No. I’m sore from last night.”
“It doesn’t have to be my dick. I can occupy you with my tongue.”
Lawrence looked at him. “I’m starting to think you get off on fucking me when there are other people in the house that can hear us.”
“I might.”
He rolled his eyes but settled back into Remy’s side and watched what felt like his tenth Christmas movie in twenty-four hours. It didn’t feel too far off, and he’d lost count of how many his mother and Rita put on for them yesterday until he finally pretended to fall asleep to keep from hurting either of their feelings. Remy had carried him to his bedroom, where he’d kissed him and told him he knew he wasn’t asleep.
“I’m going to wake Charles,” Rita stated ten minutes later as she passed by, and Lawrence should have been embarrassed by how excited he got because it meant it was almost time to eat.
Five minutes later, he sat at the dining table, his plate piled with delicious food. He hadn’t been joking when he said they were cooking enough to feed an army. As hungry as he felt, he might be able to eat like one.
He ate and listened to the conversation at the table. He’d been right in his assumption. All three parents got along well, and Rita and his mom hit it off like they were old friends.
When they finished breakfast, the five worked together to clean up. Lawrence made another cup of tea as they gathered in the living room to open gifts. He was excited when their parents opened the gifts he’d gotten them.
His mother loved coffee, so he’d gotten her a subscription that would send her two different kinds each month from around the world. He also bought her a pair of earrings and a spa treatment.
Lawrence knew Rita had a sweet tooth and got her a subscription similar to his mother's but for candy. She would get a box each month with sweet treats from around the world. He’d also bought her a bracelet to match a necklace Remy had gotten her .
For Charles, he’d decided on a muscle massager that he hoped would help with the shoulder pain he got occasionally and a subscription box for men who enjoyed being bald, which Lawrence hadn’t known existed until he was trying to find something for the man.
Subscription boxes tended to be his go-to for presents. He could pay for the duration he wanted up front, and then once it was done, if the person liked it, they could pick it back up. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t have wasted any money and got to try new things.
Lawrence and Remy opened the gifts from their parents. He’d gotten a new leather bag for work from his mom, which he was grateful for. His other one was on its last leg, but he would use it until nothing was left. His mom had also gotten him a pair of Bluetooth goggles to listen to music while he swam and not disturb the other people at his pool and a pair of crazy socks, which she’d also gotten for Remy. It was a running joke between the two of them. She’d also gotten his boyfriend a decorative piece for his wet bar. Lawrence didn’t know where she’d gotten it, but it matched perfectly with what he had.
Charles and Rita got him a personal pizza maker and a navigator-braided leather bracelet with his and Remy’s names. His boyfriend received the same bracelet, a watch to add to his collection, and the cutest tiny pinata Lawrence had ever seen. His curiosity must have been on his face.
“In Haiti, on Christmas day, families hit pinatas,” Charles explained.
“Mainly families with small children or those having large gatherings,” Rita added.
“They’ve taken to giving me little pinatas on the day to let me know that they’re ready for grandchildren whenever I’m ready to have children,” Remy explained.
“How many do you have?” Lawrence asked.
“This one makes nine.”
After Remy gave his parents gifts: a beautiful necklace with earrings, expensive cufflinks, and patent leather shoes, Lawrence was excited for Remy to open the gift he’d gotten him, even more so because his parents hadn’t gifted him something similar .
He handed Remy the first two gifts. They weren’t anything over the top, but he knew it was something he could use. One was a Bluetooth beanie he could wear on the mornings he jogged in cooler weather. He knew Remy wasn’t fond of the ones that sat around his neck, and earbuds would fall out easily. He’d also gotten him a kit for his beard, which his boyfriend took care of meticulously. Before Remy, he hadn’t known he was a beard man.
“Thank you, babe.”
“Wait. There’s one more,” Lawrence stated, handing him the last box.
He was on pins and needles as he watched Remy unwrap it. His boyfriend furrowed his brow at the plain, nondescript box but continued to open it. Pulling out the original shoe box inside, he paused and glanced at Lawrence before taking the top off.
“Baby,” Remy stated, and he had difficulty placing his tone of voice. “Are these original 1 OGs?”
“Yes,” Lawrence responded.
It had taken Lawrence forever to find a pair. Let alone a pair bought in nineteen-eighty-five in good condition. He’d gotten lucky with these. A young woman was selling them after her father’s passing who bought them the year they’d been released, and he’d never worn them. Lawrence wasn’t sure how accurate that was, but there was no crease in them, no wear and tear, and the bottoms looked like they’d only ever been on display; even the box was in near-perfect condition.
He’d looked up what the shoes would be worth now, and they were shy of forty grand. Either the woman hadn’t known what she had, or she wanted to get rid of things as quickly as possible because he’d only paid a fraction of that. The circumstance he’d gotten them was sad for the woman, but worked out for him.
Lawrence bit his lower lip when his boyfriend still didn’t say anything. He’d looked through Remy’s shoe collection and taken pictures, not wanting to get him something he already had, but what if he did? What if he already had them, and Lawrence hadn’t realized it?
“Remy?” he asked as he ran his fingers over one of the shoes. “Do you like them?”
“Fuck, yes. I…they’re perfect, baby. ”
He moved them aside, and his lips were on Lawrence’s. He allowed Remy to lead the kiss, and before he knew it, he was on his back on the couch, one of Remy’s hands ghosting at the band of his lounge pants.
“Remy Armand Price, you get off him right now and keep your hand out of his pants.”
Lawrence gasped at Rita’s voice as Remy pulled away, and he didn’t miss the sound of Charles chuckling. He glanced over to see his mother with a teasing smile, and his face heated up as Remy helped him sit up.
“We are right here; what is wrong with you?” Rita asked her son.
“In my defense, the moment I opened that box, you disappeared,” Remy responded. That seemed to make Charles chuckle harder, and his mother joined in the laughter while Rita shook her head at them.
“Thank you, baby,” Remy stated before whispering in his ear, “It looks like I’ll have to wait to show you just how grateful I am.”
He handed Lawrence two gifts, and he smiled at them both when he opened them. One was a hundred-movie scratch-off. He could scratch them off and watch whatever movie poster was hiding underneath. It sounded like something fun for them to do together. The other was a drone he’d stopped to look at one day when they were out. He was excited to take it out and fly it.
Remy passed him the last gift in a thin box about the length and width of a legal document. He slid the ribbon off it and opened the box, picking up the documents. Lawrence looked them over, seeing his company’s name and something about percentages, and it clicked.
“Remy.”
“You told me not to buy it, and I didn’t. I only bought you a few shares.”
“This says fifteen percent. You bought fifteen percent of their shares.”
“I bought thirty, but I figured you’d make me return them if I gave you that many at once.”
Lawrence wanted to protest, and maybe if this were at the beginning of their relationship, he would have, but he knew Remy was being sweet. His meeting with human resources ended with him getting written up. While he hadn’t been too pissed about it because his co-worker was too, he still thought he shouldn’t have been. He’d complained about it to Remy, and it seemed his boyfriend decided owning a third of the company's shares was the perfect answer.
“Thank you, babe.” He kissed him, and Remy stood, pulling him with him.
“We’re going to go nap,” Remy informed their parents.
“Sure you are,” Silvia stated sarcastically.
Lawrence couldn’t even find it in himself to convince his mother they would because he knew they weren’t. Remy had damn near jumped him on the couch in front of them because he’d liked his present that much. Lawrence felt the same way after his. Sleeping was the last thing they’d be doing.