“Yeah, you know him?”
He snorted. “Everybody knows him. He gets around. Calls it networking. But I’m being catty. Anyway. Ty gives everyone guest passes, yeah. But Hudson Cooper and Larry Henderson are a totally different deal. They’ve only been around for the last year or so. But yeah. Ask Hudson. Levi is a little. We play at Afterglow a lot.”
“Play?” He was sleeping with my friends—what the hell?
“Not like that.” Joey swatted my arm. “Play in the little room. It means actually playing. Levi likes cars, so we play that a lot. It’s fun.”
That was a relief. “Oh.”
“And Hudson is his daddy. So that’s your best source, right there.”
I pulled off the expressway and circled onto East Jackson. “There will be a conversation with Hudson then. But so what? You go to the club, dance, and then go back into that Limit Room thing and play with toys?”
“No Limits. And yes. Pretty much.”
“Hmm…”
“There’s more to it, Vince, but uh, you should talk to Hudson before we continue this conversation. It’ll be easier. I think.”
“Maybe.” I guessed that was his way of changing the subject, but I was determined to get back to it after I called Hudson—in the morning. “Tell me more about your social media stuff, then. How’d you get into that?”
We talked about social media all the way down Meridian and over the bridge. He became pretty animated when talking about some of the things he did, and I liked that part of him a lot more than the grouchy part. Finally, we made it to the restaurant, and I was already captivated by his banter. Once he relaxed and opened up, he was utterly enjoyable.
The atmosphere at the taproom was laid-back, casual, and warm, and the food was fantastic, as promised. We had ricottaand honey bread, fancy salads, and Margarita pizza, stuffing ourselves so full that we had to skip dessert. The best part of all was watching him indulge in the delicacies with delight. Every second of it made me smile more.
When the night came to an end, I took him home. “Do you want to come up?” he asked by the elevators.
“I do and I don’t. I enjoyed tonight. I want to see you again. But I don’t want to rush it.”
“I actually like that. Most guys—”
“I’m not most guys, Joey.”
“No. You aren’t. You’re like fresh air.” He reached up and fiddled with my hair at the back of my neck. It was starting to get a bit longer than I usually kept it. Then he stretched up on his toes, eyes closing, lips begging to be kissed. I could not resist.
I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. Those plump, sexy lips that I’d watched all night. Putting a bite of food in his mouth. Humming around a piece of bread. Taking a sip of his drink. The whole time, wanting them on me. I flicked my tongue across them, and he parted them. He tasted tangy from the pizza as I brushed my tongue against his.
Too soon, he pulled away. The kiss was tame and short, even by my standards, and left me wanting so much more. “Joey…”
“I know, Daddy.” He pressed a quick peck against my lips. “Call me.”
Then the doors to the elevator opened, and he got on, waving with a wiggle of fingers as the doors closed.
I had to adjust my pants before walking back to the car.
Chapter eight
October
We met at Afterglow, and Vince humored me in the Little Room. I played with blocks and cars, while Vince sat beside me and zoomed the sportiest-looking car around my tower. Until I smashed into them, making them tumble over his toy. He laughed, and I did too. It made me happy that I might end upwith a daddy after all—even if it was a first-time daddy. Vince was sweet. But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself.
“I want to color you a picture, Daddy. So you can ‘member me.”
“Ah, Joey, you’re already unforgettable.”
I stuck my tongue out at him, then rushed to the table where books were strewn around. I found one that had a race car in it. “What color was your fastest car?” I pointed a red color at him.
“Mm…the one I just won the championship with was yellow and black.”
