“Yes, you son of a bitch. I’m out of town. You won’t see me again.”
“Splendid. Goodbye, Jasper. This time, the pleasure was all mine.” Curtis knew this last little dig was mean, but Dean had been right. Being immature had its perks. For one, his chest felt as if a boulder had been lifted from it. He went to the door, closely followed by Leeland, who didn’t spare Jasper a second glance.
AS SOONas they left the motel, the girl at the reception counter not even noticing them going by, Leeland started with the questioning. “What was that about telling his mother?”
Curtis chuckled. He waited until Leeland had opened his car door and they both were seated inside. “Well, Jasper’s parents are… old-fashioned. Deeply conservative and set in their ways. When Jasper came out to them, it was a huge shock. And since Jasper has always been a sneaky, scheming bastard, he waited with announcing his sexuality until he was in a stable relationship with me. His parents were less than thrilled about his ‘ungodly tendencies,’ but since he had obviously secured one of the most eligible bachelors within their social circle, they couldn’t be too mad.” Curtis winked.
Leeland snickered.
“Being snobbish does have its merits. Apparently being gay isn’t a problem as long as it helps you climb the social ladder. Anyway, when he dumped me, his mother was devastated. So he told her it was because of all my work and that we couldn’t maintain a relationship at the moment. I know this because Jasper’s mother talked to my mother—at great length, I might add—who then told me everything and congratulated me for having gotten rid of this ‘dead social weight,’ as she likes to refer to Jasper’s family.”
Curtis could feel an evil smile blossoming on his face. “Now imagine what his mother would say if she knew how badly he screwed up in addition to losing all his money?”
Leeland burst out in laughter. “You, my friend, are the devil. I love it. Let’s drive to Collin’s place and tell the boys.”
“Uhm, how about you tell the others? I’ve got the feeling I’m on a roll, and I have a Dom to chastise and then hopefully secure for good.”
“You’re aiming for victory sex!” Leeland waggled his eyebrows.
“I so am.” They looked at each other and started laughing again.
Chapter 22
CURTIS STOODin front of the side door leading to Andrew’s apartment, waiting for Andrew to answer. Perhaps it hadn’t been the best idea to tell Leeland to leave right away without checking first if Andrew was at home. Curtis blamed the adrenaline from his confrontation with Jasper still coursing through his veins. It somehow seemed to interfere with his higher brain functions, and made him act on a more primal level. He lifted his hand to ring again when the door was suddenly yanked open. Andrew stared at him, his eyes almost comically wide with surprise.
“Curtis, what are you doing here?”
“Setting you straight. Putting my life back in order. Basking in your presence. You can choose one. May I come in?”
Curtis could tell Andrew was overwhelmed by his brusque behavior. He did step aside, though, to let him in.
“Uhm—didn’t we agree to take a short break?”
“No, we didn’t.Youtold me you wanted one for reasons that are, at least on the surface, valid, but I never agreed. And you refused to hear me out, for reasons I don’t understand, since I thought we were partners in this relationship.”
A faint pink crept into Andrew’s cheeks while he averted his gaze. “I’m sorry. I may have overreacted a bit.” Andrew led the way upstairs into his cozy apartment, where he gestured for Curtis to sit on the couch while he took a chair. Seeing his Dom so insecure pulled on Curtis’s heartstrings.
“Can we talk about it?”
Andrew sighed. “Yes. Definitely. We have to talk about it. I just seem to fuck up wherever you are concerned, and I’m afraid of making a habit out of it.”
“You didn’t fuck up. If you had dumped me, that would have been a fuckup. Telling me you need time to think is fine. Though I would have appreciated being consulted on the nature of your concerns first.”
A chuckle escaped Andrew. “That would have been the polite thing to do, wouldn’t it? I’m sorry. Jasper just caught me completely on the wrong foot. Even though I know he’s an idiot.”
“An idiot you don’t have to worry about anymore. I just visited him, and he’s going to leave town. Even the States, if he knows what’s good for him.” Curtis watched as Andrew’s eyes went wide.
“How did you do that?”
“I may have decided to take a really low blow at him, something I’m not entirely proud of, even though the end definitely justifies the means. Seeing as he didn’t show signs of leaving us alone, I embraced Dean’s advice and let my inner high-society bitch off its leash.” Curtis grinned, hoping Andrew understood his attempt at lightening the mood. His Dom’s hearty laugh told him he’d been successful.
“Your inner high-society bitch. I like that. And remind me to never get on your bad side. You’re a bit scary.”
“Me? I’m just a devoted little sub.”
Andrew arched a brow. “I don’t know about little in any sense of the word, but devoted I can confirm.”
“So are we good?” Curtis hated the vulnerability in his voice. He didn’t want to show Andrew how much he was hoping for a positive answer, while at the same time he wanted to expose everything to him. It was a weird feeling, one he wanted to shake.
