“So what did he do? Was he mean to you?” Seth looked at him over the rim of his glass.
“No, not really. He acted a bit strange when I came with my car, but that could have been nerves. I mean, it’s just a car. A nice one, granted, but just a car. When we arrived at OLA, he was definitely nervous, but that’s fine. It was a first date, after all. Anyway, we started talking and he pretty quickly inquired about my views on the lifestyle.”
Leeland and Dean winced collectively. “It was kind of forward, but then again, he is a Dom, he knew, through Collin, that I’m a sub, and of course he would have wanted to talk about our sexual preferences. I mean, we’re adults. Did I wish for a more romantic approach? Yes, definitely. But I wasn’t appalled either. It was fine. And he was nice about it, charming. Anyway, he then told me he’s still looking for a club to play and he wanted to know where I go to. When I told him it was Whisper, he seemed shocked. Then he asked me out for today and after I declined, he more or less stopped talking to me. I made polite small talk for forty minutes, and then I left, because I was pretty pissed.”
“How awful!” Collin took Curtis in his arms. “That was just mean. Why would he do that? He was the one who said he found you hot and he asked you out. If he didn’t want to go anymore, he could have just told you!”
“Yeah. That was really shitty of him.” Dean looked furious. “I wonder what his problem is.”
“He was intimidated.” Emilio’s voice was soft, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be heard. All eyes went to him.
“Intimidated?” Dean raised a brow.
“Yes. Try to see it from his point. He’s new in town, you said. He’s a Dom, and he’s looking for a club to play, so he probably doesn’t have a lot of contacts in the scene yet. He meets you by chance and can’t believe his good luck when you agree to go out with him. Then you come by in a car that costs more than Leeland or I make in three years. You said he owns a bakery. No matter how successful he is, I’m sure he doesn’t have that kind of money. He takes you to OLA, which is not a Michelin restaurant, but upscale. It’s the kind of restaurant I would go to if I had something to celebrate. I guess he wanted to impress you, and then he finds out you’re a regular there. I bet the staff treated you accordingly, because that’s what they do in places like this. So you have a Dom who has the burning wish to impress you and is thwarted at every turn. To top it off, you tell him you’re a member at Whisper. He probably thought he doesn’t have a chance at all.”
Emilio panted as if he had just run a marathon. He rarely spoke so much, and he seemed flustered.
“But I agreed to go out with him! Why would he think he doesn’t have a chance? I get that most of the Doms at Whisper have some hang-ups about me because of the way I act and who I am, and because they like their subs more dependent, but this was a normal situation. I didn’t go all upper-class on him!” Curtis knew he sounded bitter and he didn’t care. If his behavior was too posh for the Doms at Whisper and his money scared all the other Doms away, he would die alone.
Leeland leaned forward and handed him a cupcake, their dessert for tonight. “I’m sure you didn’t. You’re the most modest man I know, and you only unpack your scary social skills when you want to sell a painting or you don’t like somebody. The problem is, your date didn’t know you. He could only go with what he saw, and I guess when he asked you out, he pegged you as, well, normal. You never dress up when you’re out with Collin, and Collin always wears his ratty jeans, so why would he suspect you to be different than what his first impression of you was? My guess is, he wouldn’t have asked you out if he’d known.”
“Just great. Now I feel bad about having money in addition to having been dumped before there was anything to be dumped for. Thank you, Leeland.”
“That’s not how I meant it and you know it. He’s still an asshole for being mean to you. I was just trying to tell you that his behavior had nothing to do with you as a person and everything with him being an insecure jerk.”
Curtis smiled weakly. “I have to admit, when you put it like this, it sounds a lot better. The problem is, where does that leave me? I may not be a 24/7 sub, but I like my sex kinky, and Doms seem to be deterred by either my money or my manners, two things I can’t really change.” Curtis hesitated a moment. “Well, I could give away my money, but to be honest, I like having it. And I was trained in social skills from the day I was born. That’s not something you just shake off.”
“Plus, it’s a part of you. One we like a lot.” Dean handed him another cupcake. “I know it sounds like mockery, but you can’t give up. Just because Jasper was an asshole of the highest order and this Dom yesterday proved to be in the same league doesn’t mean all Doms are bad. You’re going to find your perfect match, and we’re going to help you. You’re not alone in this, Curtis. We love you.”
Curtis already felt better. Andrew had been a mistake, but thankfully a small one. After all, that was what first dates were for. To find out if there was more than just chemistry.
“And I love you. All of you.” He grinned. “Now, Emilio, what film did you choose for us tonight?”
Peyton groaned. “Please tell me it’s not one of those artistically valuable pieces again.”
Emilio pointedly turned his back on Peyton. “To be honest, I don’t know this one myself, but I fell in love with the poster art, and I think we’re going to enjoy it— Most of us,” he added with a backward glance at Peyton. “It’s calledEl laberinto del Fauno, orPan’s Labyrinth. It’s from 2006, and Guillermo del Toro directed it. The reviews say it’s a great fantasy film and when I saw the trailer, I just had to choose it for tonight.”
Emilio hesitated for a moment, which gave Curtis the chance to smile broadly at Peyton. “I liked the movie when it was released and would very much enjoy seeing it again.”
Peyton groaned. “I knew it! Artistically valuable! Emilio, how could you do this to me?” He rolled his eyes dramatically.
Emilio simply shrugged and turned his gaze to Seth. He had by now learned to ignore Peyton when he embraced his inner drama queen. “The only problem is it’s in Spanish with English subtitles.” He looked at Seth. “I know the others all know enough Spanish to follow a film. If you’re uncomfortable with it, we can turn the subtitles on.”
Seth leaned back in his spot, a lazy smile on his lips. “It’s fine, Emilio. My Spanish is far from perfect, but I know enough to get by, and I view it as a challenge to see how much I can understand. If things get dicey, we can always have the subtitles, but I think they always kind of distract from a film.”
With a relieved sigh, Emilio pushed some buttons on the remote control and the large flat-screen came to life. They all settled on the couch, Curtis flanked by Collin and Dean, who both cuddled him close. Seth dimmed the lights, and the movie began. Curtis smiled in the embrace of his friends. Life was good, even if he didn’t have a special someone at the moment.
Chapter 8
CURTIS SPENThis Sunday in the garden, working with Sophia, the landscaper who also did Dean’s and Collin’s gardens. She was teaching him how to take care of the beehives she had put up at the back of his garden, where it bordered on a patch of wilderness. At first, Curtis had been skeptical about getting bees, but after his first taste of the honey Dean’s and Collin’s bees had produced, he’d asked Sophia to set him up as well. By now he found it comforting to work with the insects, and the constant low buzzing that came from the hives soothed his nerves like nothing else. When Monday rolled around, he felt ready to face whatever the week could throw at him. Or so he thought.
Patty, his PA, greeted him with a blinding smile as soon as he set foot in the gallery. Her being in such a good mood on a Monday morning was far from her usually cranky personality and therefore highly suspicious.
“Patty, what has you so excited? Did your mother-in-law finally decide to move to the North Pole?”
For a moment Patty’s face fell. Her wife’s mother was a constant thorn in her side. The woman was convinced Patty had used some voodoo magic to turn her poor, innocent daughter into a lesbian who wasted her best years on “some coal-black slum creature” who was just after Lydia’s money. Curtis had met Lydia and knew the woman never did anything she didn’t want to and was as far from innocent as the devil from heaven. She was also a cutthroat lawyer whose services Curtis required whenever there was trouble with some of his more entitled clients. She also kept a close eye on all transactions regarding Collin.
“There’s a special place in hell reserved just for her, and I’m tempted to do something really bad just to get there and watch her squirm. For eternity.”
