Knight of Ocean Avenue (15 page)

His mom looked over at Billy, and he felt his ears heat since everyone else stared at him too. She gave one nod. “Anyone who can get that man to spruce up so grand is clearly a magician.” She looked at Shaz. “So I will be getting my hair done at your place tomorrow. Thank you very much.”

Mitch fell back against his chair and started to applaud. The family joined in, and all the people too far away to hear peered at them. Billy slowly let out his breath.
Holy shit
. This guy was one hell of a wizard for sure.

Billy leaned back and looked at Sissy, who was applauding with the rest. “How do you think Shaz knows all that scripture?”

“I heard one time that his grandfather’s a minister or something.”

Billy nodded. “Oh right. He wanted Shaz to go to divinity school.”

“That’s funny, isn’t it?”

“Hell, no. Imagine what a fire-breathing preacher he could have been.”

She giggled. “I think he’s more a lover than a fire-breather.”

Yeah
, Billy agreed.

Food was served, and conversation got more local. He was chatting with Sissy when he felt Rhonda’s lips on his cheek. “You look amazing, baby brother.”

He kind of wanted people to notice he looked good—and he kind of didn’t. “Thanks.”

“I told you Shaz is amazing.”

“Yeah. You did.” He glanced over at Shaz, who was animatedly talking to Billy’s aunt sitting on his other side. “Uh, how come Giles got invited to the family table? Is he related to Mitch in some way?”

Rhonda expression was just—funny. “No. They’re just best friends. You know. Prep school buddies and all.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“He’s just happier when Giles is around.” Her face did not look happy.

“Sure, I understand. Buddies.”

“You must have friends like that. Working so closely with other guys like you do.”

“Yeah.” Actually he’d never had a buddy like that, but oddly, he kind of felt that way about Shaz. Shit, he’d certainly shared more with the man than he did with most people, and he didn’t just mean a blow job. He grabbed his ear to hide the creeping red that must be attacking it.

Rhonda stared at him. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shifted in his chair.

She chuckled. “You and your friends must get in a lot of trouble that the rest of us poor Ballews don’t know about. Don’t you?”

The ear got hotter. Billy shook his head.

She nudged him with her elbow. “Come on, tell.”

Not the kind of trouble he could ever tell her about. Or anyone else for that matter. Except Shaz. He wanted to talk to Shaz. Shaz would answer his questions honestly. He would.

He looked up just as Giles slipped an arm around Shaz’s shoulders and kissed his cheek. Billy inhaled sharply, and a shot of some vicious emotion he didn’t want to name flashed through his gut. That guy in the coffee shop came to mind.

Rhonda whispered, “Don’t worry. Mama likes Shaz. She needs to see that gay men are real people. She’ll get over the kiss.”

The question was, would Billy?

Billy tried not to stare at Shaz while they ate dessert. Shaz seemed animated and happy. He and Giles must have made up. Weird how that made Billy feel a little sick.

Finally he munched his way through cheesecake and listened in on Sissy and Teresa’s conversation. The two women got along well, which made him feel even better about Sissy. Teresa didn’t suffer fools. It always made him happy that she loved him so much.

He scooted back his chair. “Excuse me, ladies. Men’s room.”

Sissy smiled. “I’ll be right here.”

A few people had already begun to leave, but it was early, so most would probably linger in the bar. Shaz wasn’t at the table, but Giles was still there talking to Mitch, so Shaz must not have gone far.

Billy wound his way through the tables and out to the reception area of the club where he remembered the men’s room was. He opened the door into a lounge area with a couch and two chairs. An archway in the back wall led to the toilets, urinals, and sinks. He walked through and crossed to the urinal just as someone hurried in behind him. They arrived at the necessary plumbing at the same time and Billy looked over. Shaz. Their hands rested on their flies. Why did this feel awkward? Just two guys peeing. Still.

Shaz smirked, looked over his shoulder, and lowered his voice. “It’s okay. Not like I haven’t seen it before.”

Billy blushed and laughed at the same time. Leave it to Shaz to defuse the situation.

Shaz lowered his voice even more. “I’m the one that ought to be nervous.”

Billy snorted. But his eyes crept over as Shaz unzipped and pulled out one pretty damned impressive organ. Not Billy’s size, but hell, Shaz was a hundred and fifty pounds soaked.
Impressive.

Shaz glanced up and caught Billy staring.

“Sorry.” Billy blushed harder.

Shaz whispered, “Turnabout is fair play.” He slowly dropped his gaze until he was staring right at Billy’s cock.

“I’ll never get any pee out if you keep that up.”

Shaz laughed and waggled his strong stream against the back of the urinal. Another man walked in and he got serious, finished, gave it the penis shake, and zipped up. Billy finally got some action as Shaz walked to the sinks.

He hurried and got to the hand washing as Shaz was rinsing. Billy turned on the water. “Uh, I’d love to talk to you, uh, some time.”

Shaz looked kind of startled. “You would?”

“Yeah. I have some questions.”

His eyes widened. “You do?”

“Yes.”

“Sure. I’d love to. Really.” He frowned. “Probably not tonight.” He nodded toward the door like he was pointing toward Giles. “But maybe after the wedding tomorrow. Like at the reception or later?”

Breathless
. “That would be great.”

Shaz stared at him for a minute, then nodded, grabbed a towel, dried his hands, and walked out the door. Billy finished up and headed back to the dining room. He’d been dreading the wedding. Now? Not so much.

S
HAZ
SAT
back on the apricot suede loveseat and listened to Giles marching around the townhouse kitchen like he owned the place. Oddly, he felt annoyed, even though he’d encouraged Giles to be comfortable in the house.

“I’m adding a bit of lemon zest to the lemon drops, darling. Where’s your zester?”

Shaz leaned back. “Won’t that make them bitter?”

“No, of course not. Just trust me.”

“Top drawer on the far left.”

He heard the drawer open and close.

Little things were bugging him. Number one on his ass-biting list—“Giles, why were you invited to sit at the head table at the dinner? You’re not a family member. Everyone else was related to the bride or groom.”

Giles appeared around the corner of the couch carrying two martini glasses on a small tray Shaz kept on the counter. “Here. You must try this. See if I’m not right about the zest.” He handed the drink to Shaz and sat beside him.

Shaz put up a hand. “Be careful. Don’t spill. I’ll never get another loveseat like this one.”

“Don’t be plebian. Drink.”

Shaz raised an eyebrow. “Some of us worked for our money, darling.”

“I work. You know that. Now take a sip.”

Shaz drank a little. Good, though the zest detracted from the smoothness of the vodka. He’d never say that or they’d discuss the pros and cons of the drink for an hour. “Delicious. You were right.”

“Ah.” Giles leaned back and sipped with a smile.

Shaz cradled his glass. “So you were saying about the dinner and your place of honor?”

Giles frowned. “I’m like family. Mitch and I have been best friends since prep school.”

“When you and I first met, I never heard about him, but now he seems to crop up in every conversation.”

“You brought him up.” He snuggled against Shaz’s neck. “But I must admit to some gratification at your jealousy.”

“Ummm.” Was he jealous?

“How about I take you to bed and convince your ass that I’m all yours?”

“Maybe I want to top tonight?”

He huffed. “You know I don’t like to bottom.”

Shaz set down the glass. “Actually, it doesn’t matter. I have a beastly headache anyway. I’m thinking we both do our own beds tonight.”

“Is this because I want to top?” He frowned.

“Oh, you mean again? No, of course not. I got the headache at the dinner. Probably trying to be heard over all the noise and chatter.” He stretched his neck.

“I didn’t see that slowing down your talking.”

Shaz sighed.

Giles set down his glass hard, sloshing some of the remainder on the glass table. “Well, damn. I could have stayed at the bar.”

“Thanks for your sympathetic response.”

Giles let out his breath slowly. “Sorry, baby.” He ran a hand over the back of Shaz’s neck. “You know I’m just disappointed.” He leaned over. “Give me a kiss.”

Shaz wrapped his arms around Giles’s neck and slanted his mouth to meet Giles’s open lips. The man was a good kisser. That was one of the things that had won Shaz when they first met. They’d play kissy face for an hour before getting down to business. Now Giles was mostly about business, one way or another. No different this time.

Giles pulled back. “So sleep good and take something for your head.”

“I will. Are you going out?”

“Maybe. Need to drown my disappointment, you know?” He laughed and walked to the door. “See you tomorrow, baby.”

“I have to be there early to check the styling, so I’ll meet you at the church.”

“Okay.” He paused with the door open. “Sure you don’t want to change your mind?”

He should. Hell, how hard would it be to just lie down? “No, I’m really feeling unwell, and it’s a big day tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Giles shrugged and walked out the door.

Shaz just sat there.

What was he doing?

Was he done with Giles? That’s how he was acting. He leaned forward and took a big swallow of the slightly gritty lemon drop. Did his heart hurt? Yes. Some.

Billy Ballew’s face flashed in his mind and the scene in the coffee shop that day Shaz had first seen him. He’d tried not to stare, but that handsome, mobile face went through every emotion while that girl was breaking up with him. Shock, sadness, embarrassment, revelation, and finally, as he walked out the door, some sense of what Shaz had thought of as freedom. The guy seemed frantic but still relieved. Would Shaz feel the same way if he broke up with Giles? Free or panicked?

He took another sip. Didn’t really like the drink that much, but no use wasting it. Still holding the martini glass, he grabbed his phone and pushed the speed dial, then his speaker, and leaned back to listen to it ring.

One ringy. Two—

“Hello, darling, what’s shaking?”

Ru. His rock of a friend. “Want to talk?”

“Hmm. What’s got your thong in a wad?”

“You don’t have someone there, do you?”

“Moi? I am a veritable monk.”

“As if.”

“What’s up, dear?”

“I feel like I’m trying to break up with Giles.”

“What do you mean ‘trying’? Do it or don’t.”

“I keep doing things to piss him off and I notice I’m doing them, but I don’t stop. I mean, he wanted to have sex tonight and I claimed a headache. Jesus, I’ve had sex with a fever of one hundred and two. Why should a headache stop me?”

“Why did it?”

Shaz sighed and put down the glass. “I didn’t want to have sex.”

“With him.”

“What?”

“You didn’t want to have sex with him. If it had been Billy Ballew, I’ll bet your headache would have vanished in a second.”

“But that’s just stupid. He’s straight and not interested in me.”

“Apparently your brain, or at least your heart, doesn’t believe that.”

“Mmmm.”

“May I ask why that is?”

“Uh. What do you mean?”

“Last time I saw you, you were in a puddle over the fact that Billy had asked for all the clothes to be delivered and never wanted to see your angelic face again. Now you’re making life decisions based on him.”

“I’m not.”

“Shaz.”

“He wants to talk to me. He stared at my cock.”

“What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

“At the rehearsal dinner. He told me he wants to talk to me.”

“Where exactly was your cock that he was staring at it?”

“We were in the men’s room at the urinal at the time.”

Silence.

“Ru?”

“So you’re interpreting this how?”

Shit.
He dropped his head in his hands. “I’m not. He probably wants to talk about furniture or cats or something. But at least he doesn’t seem to hate me.”

“Shaz, you’re thinking of quitting Giles. You know I don’t like the guy much, so if it’s because you’ve decided you don’t like him either, I’ll be the first to cheer. But if it’s because of some misguided affection for your knight of the sweatshirt, you need to be careful, darling. I don’t want you getting your heart broken.”

“I know.” Heat pressed behind his eyes. “Why am I such a sucker for this guy? Stupid, stupid. And I can’t afford to be stupid.” He swiped at his eyes. “Hell, Giles has a bunch of money in the new building. The staff is looking forward to moving.”

“A crappy reason to stay with him, in my opinion.”

“True. But I genuinely enjoy the lifestyle he affords me. I mean, he’s even good for business. Styling the old money set gives us cachet beyond just rock stars and movie stars.”

“You can afford your own champagne, Shaz.”

He laid his head on the back of the sofa. “Not out of the same bottles Giles pours.”

“You may be practical, but you’re not mercenary.”

“I know.”

“You worked your ass off to get where you are. You respect hard work. That’s one of the reasons you like the construction worker more than the dilettante rich guy.”

“Maybe.”

“But let’s say for a minute that your heart’s right. Billy Ballew wants to be gay for you.”

Shaz’s heart leaped higher than his cock.

“Are you really willing to become the boyfriend of a blue-collar construction worker? Seriously?”