30
R emy sat in the waiting room with the other men participating in the auction. They’d been informed of the order they were going in, and he was surprised to find that Gale had placed the five of them last. He supposed it was so the single men could be bid on seriously before whatever shenanigans went on. He hadn’t been at the previous two auctions, but he’d heard about the back and forth that playfully took place the prior year and then not so playfully between Kieran and Wayne.
They still had thirty minutes left until it started, and while he’d agreed to participate because the earnings always went to charity, he was ready for it to be over with. When he won, his boyfriend had planned a night out for them, and Remy was ready to spend time with him. They hadn’t seen each other for over a week until he’d picked Lawrence up that evening due to work and him working a rare weekend.
He wasn’t too surprised. Cayman Industries was always busy at the beginning and end of the year. Remy typically didn’t take any time off during the first two months of the year because of it, but he’d done so to celebrate his and Lawrence’s birthdays, and while those two days didn’t put him far behind, he knew it would seem like it with how much work they were doing.
To his dismay, Lawrence had only used the key he’d given him twice, and it was when Remy was home. Sure, he could have pointed out that he wanted him to use it, but he didn’t want to push. He was sure he would when he was ready.
“Did Alijah cap what she was willing to bid?” Nik asked .
“You know she did,” Kieran responded. “I take it Chayse did also.”
“She did.”
“I’m sure they all did, but they may not be able to stick to it,” Cruz stated.
“If someone bids over what they capped, they have to bid more,” Paetyn supplied.
“They don’t technically have to,” Remy informed. “But we all know they don’t share well and won’t lose.” He paused. “Well, Alijah might.” He smirked at Kieran, and the other man flipped him the bird.
“She talks a good game but isn’t letting anyone else have me.”
They continued with small talk until the auction started. When it did, they were put in order, and Remy noticed they were in age order. Well, at least the five of them were. He could assume the other ten were also. He didn’t pay much attention to the first ten, the five holding a quiet conversation to avoid disturbing the festivities.
When it finally got to their group, Nik walked onto the stage as the short bio questionnaire they had to fill out was read.
“Let’s start the bidding at ten thousand dollars,” the auctioneer stated.
“Ten thousand,” a voice responded.
“Ten, do I hear fifteen?”
“Fifteen thousand,” a different voice replied.
“Fifteen, do I hear twenty?”
“Twenty thousand,” Alijah stated.
“Thirty thousand,” Erin countered.
“Thirty, do I hear forty?” the auctioneer asked.
“Forty thousand,” Chayse answered.
“Fifty thousand,” Lawrence threw in, and Remy chuckled.
“Sixty thousand,” Erin challenged. “He’d have more fun with me.”
“Seventy thousand,” Chayse countered. “But he’s coming home with me.”
“Eighty thousand,” Alijah spoke. “Are you sure about that?”
“Don’t fight; there’s enough of me to go around,” Nik stated, causing the crowd to laugh .
“One hundred thousand,” Lawrence bid. “If you let me have Nik, you can have Remy.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Chayse responded, and Remy looked around from where he waited to see her thinking about it. “Deal.”
“Wait,” Erin said. “What if I want Remy?”
The auctioneer cleared their throat, cutting off any answer that may have come. “One hundred thousand going once, twice, sold.”
“Mm…looks like I’m getting a new experience,” Nik joked before leaving the stage. “If he isn’t the same afterward, I apologize in advance,” he joked, placing his hand on Remy’s shoulder with a smirk.
He chuckled. “I’ll be sure to tell you the same thing if Chayse wins me.”
Remy walked onto the stage as they read his bio, only mildly paying attention. The crowd was mainly female, with a few men sprinkled in.
“Let’s start the bidding at—”
“Twenty thousand,” Erin stated, cutting the auctioneer off.
“Okay. Twenty, do I hear thirty?”
“Thirty thousand,” Alijah replied.
“Fifty thousand,” Chayse countered.
“Fifty, do I hear sixty?” the auctioneer asked.
“Sixty,” Erin responded.
“Seventy-five,” Alijah replied.
“One hundred thousand,” Erin said. “I’m trying to see why Lawrence is so whipped,” she joked.
“You think you can handle that?” Remy teased.
“I like challenges,” Erin responded. A few chuckles filled the room as the auctioneer pronounced him sold.
Cruz, Kieran, and Paetyn went in that order. Alijah won Cruz, and Chayse won Kieran and Paetyn while joking she wanted to see what that dynamic would be like. They’d all gone for the same price, far less than the women had gone for the previous year, but Remy wasn’t surprised. It would have seemed abnormal for it to be the other way around. Their partners did spend forty to fifty thousand more than the others who’d bid and won.
Once they were all in the waiting room, Lawrence asked Alijah to text him about the four of them going out and catching up. From his peripheral, Remy could see Paetyn teasing Chayse about something, and she and Erin were laughing while Cruz shook his head and Nik raised a playful brow.
The group said their byes a few minutes later in the parking lot and went their separate ways.
“Keys, please,” Lawrence stated, holding his hand out.
Remy pulled his keys from his pocket and handed them to his boyfriend. Lawrence opened the passenger side door for him, and he raised a brow but humored him. When they pulled out of the parking lot, he didn’t know where they were going but was sure he’d enjoy it.
L awrence sat across from Remy as they waited for dessert to come. He’d planned a few things for them to do that evening after the auction. He hadn’t seen Remy in over a week, and it was the longest he’d gone without doing so since they started dating. The beginning of the year was busy for his boyfriend. He recalled the previous year being so for Alijah, with her being a little stressed about it, and her upcoming wedding at the time.
While he wasn’t as busy as Remy, he did have a few contracts he’d closed on and a couple of meetings with potential clients. One required him to travel, and he’d been gone for two days.
“What do you have planned when we leave here?” Remy asked.
“You’ll see,” Lawrence responded.
Remy reached across the table and took his hand. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
“As much as I’ve missed you.”
“Enough to stay with me this weekend?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” Lawrence responded. He’d planned on them going back to his apartment once the night was over, but he had more items at Remy’s than his boyfriend did at his. So, it made sense.
Their server returned with their desserts, which they shared. Lawrence hadn’t been able to decide between two. In the end, he ordered one, and Remy ordered the other so he could have some of both. Lawrence knew he could have ordered two desserts for himself, but he wouldn’t eat all of it and didn’t want to be wasteful.
“When is your lease up?” Remy asked as they waited on the check.
“In a few months.”
“Do you plan to renew it?”
Lawrence studied him briefly. He had planned to renew it. The building he lived in was nice and affordable, and he enjoyed the amenities, but he knew why Remy was asking. Or at least he thought he did. So instead, he asked, “Should I?”
“No,” his boyfriend responded without missing a beat. “You shouldn’t, but I’m not trying to pressure you. It’s your choice.”
“It’s my choice, but you haven’t asked me anything,” Lawrence teased.
Remy chuckled. “Will you move in with me?”
By the time his lease was up, they would have been together for over a year, and he didn’t see the harm in doing so. If nothing else, he’d realized he wasn’t a fan of going more than a few days without seeing the other man. Living together would fix that, and it was the next logical step.
“I will.”
When the bill came, Remy reached for it, but Lawrence quickly took it from him, reminding him that he’d planned the night, meaning he was in charge. That included paying whether the other man liked it or not.
Once they were back at the car, Lawrence opened the door for him again, and when he was pulling out of the parking lot, Remy turned to him.
“You’re treating me like I’m bottoming tonight, baby,” he joked.
“You might be,” Lawrence threw back, but he had no intention of that happening.
While he’d topped more in his past relationships, there was something about bottoming to Remy, giving him that sort of control that appealed to Lawrence, but only with him. He couldn’t picture their dynamic in the bedroom the other way around, and he’d tried .
He was always satisfied with the way things worked for them. Did he think Remy would let him top if he wanted to? Yes. Did Lawrence see himself wanting to in the near future? No. He hadn’t realized how much being the center of attention, being a pillow prince when he wanted, appealed to him, and giving that up was the last thing on his mind.
Twenty minutes later, they were pulling up to a jazz club, and once inside, they found a table and ordered drinks.
After their first drink, Lawrence pulled him onto the dance floor as a soulful jazz rendition of “I Will Always Love You” began. They swayed to the music, the other couples on the dance floor falling away as if they were in their own bubble. Lawrence hummed along softly to the song. When the last note rang out, Remy kissed his lips softly.
“I love you.”
Lawrence smiled against his lips. “And I love you.”
They danced to another song before returning to the table and ordering another round of drinks. It would be his last since he was driving. They enjoyed the club's vibe for an hour and a half, dancing a few more times before they decided to leave.
Their last stop was a park a few blocks from Remy’s building. The night air was crisp and cool, but the snow they’d gotten a few days ago had been shoveled away, and the park walkways were clear.
They strolled around the park, allowing the night air to engulf them. While he’d only had two drinks at the club, his boyfriend had four. He knew it would take more than that to get him drunk, but Lawrence also knew that he was the energizer bunny with liquor in his system, and he already knew what was in store since they hadn't seen each other in a while; he didn’t need the liquor to help.
When they made it to Remy’s condo, Lawrence pulled him to the ensuite and started the shower. He began to undress his boyfriend first, taking in every inch of deliciously smooth walnut-hued skin as he revealed it. Once he had him completely naked, he stood there taking him in, and Remy let him, allowed him to get his fill .
He didn’t take nearly as much time removing his own clothes. When they were in the shower together, Lawrence couldn’t help but reflect on their relationship and how he’d almost fumbled the man who gave him everything he could ever desire in a relationship in and outside of the bedroom. All because he couldn’t reconcile the way he felt at first. He would forever be grateful that Remy hadn’t let him run and had made him face his feelings because they wouldn’t be where they were now. He wouldn’t be happy, in love, and more content than ever in any relationship.
Lawrence couldn’t have wished for anything better.