He shook my hand around between us and dragged me down with a hand on the back of my neck to rest his forehead on mine. “If I can’t be with you now when things aren’t good in your world, I don’t deserve to be with you later when everything is kosher.” I didn’t get a chance to say anything else because he shifted toward his parents again. “This is Ross Midberry, my boyfriend. Ross, this is my dad, Lance.” The younger man on the couch lifted an eyebrow at me but didn’t do anything else that would qualify as dramatic. “That’s my papa, Cecil.” The other man sat down beside his husband and leaned against his side, patting his leg almost like he was telling him to stand down.
“Hi,” I murmured and could practically taste my humiliation. Neither man seemed even marginally impressed by me. In fact, I could feel this entire hellish moment crashing and burning so hard I half expected the ceiling to cave in. I held Lane’s hand tighter and wished really hard that he’d ask me to do something, anything, out of the room. He could order me to swim across Lake Ontario to Canada and I’d try right now, if it meant getting the fuck out of this social mess. I forced myself to be a man and crossed the room to hold out my hand to Lance, since he was the one acting most displeased with me. He blinked and glared at my hand, and it was Cecil instead who took my hand and firmly shook it.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” I mumbled.
“Well, I can certainly see what has made my son forget how his phone functions,” Cecil said in a conspiratorial whisper. He’d been loud enough I was sure Lane could hear him, but soft enough it made me even more embarrassed somehow, as if he’d only intended his words for me.
“Uh… thanks?”
Lance tilted his head to the side and scowled at me, giving me a once-over that made me feel about two inches tall. “I agree with your assessment. Why don’t you go home? My son and I have a few things to discuss about how people worry when they can’t reach you for an entire week.” He sat forward to glare at Lane, and then flopped back against the couch and narrowed his eyes on me. “Smartolderman like you should understand family business.”
My face heated and I glanced toward Lane, not sure what he’d want, or at least not trusting myself to be right that he didn’t want me to go.
Lane slung his arm around my waist and some of the anxiety spiraling through me melted away.
“Ross lives with me.” Lane jutted his chin, almost daring his parents to say anything.
“Since when?” Lance sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, glaring at me again.
“This is exactly why I didn’t talk to you. I knew you’d get all huffy about it.”
Lance stood and crossed his arms, and his handsome face hardened. “Excuse me, Lane Alexander, I do not get huffy! Watch your tone.”
Cecil covered his mouth with a hand and winked when I met his gaze.
Lance poked at my chest, and I backpedaled quickly. “This is the man you were caught with. The mayor who didn’t care enough about you to keep you out of a compromising position.” The scowl he sent me should have knocked me out cold. Sweat beaded on my back and stuck my shirt to my skin, and I shivered in spite of the fact the air conditioning wasn’t running.
“Oh, well, ex-mayor now.” I tried for another smile, and Lane winced in my direction, but there was a snarl on his lips I was pretty sure wasn’t for me. I hated seeing my Mister upset, and the recent conversation I’d had with Eli swirled in my head. He’d said it was my job to learn how to please my Mister without him telling me what to do every second of the day. As his houseboy, I was supposed to anticipate his needs. What could I do to smooth this over? I thought fast and then smiled at his parents. “Did you have time to eat before or after your flight? I could toss a meal together for you. Nothing fancy, but it would be edible.”
Lane sent me a small smile and squeezed my hand.
Cecil relaxed back against the couch and nodded at me. “You are living here, then? I thought for sure that must’ve been the case. It smells so clean in here, and I know our Lane doesn’t do that type of thing on his own. I could eat.”
Lance glared over his shoulder at his husband. “You canalwayseat.”
Cecil shrugged, not arguing, and patted his flat stomach. “Truer words were never spoken, my love.”
“I’ll help,” Lane said, a tinge of desperation to his words. He dragged me toward the kitchen, which didn’t do us a hell of a lot of good considering you could see directly into it from the living room, and then to my horror, his parents followed after us. Lane had the fridge door open and was taking out containers of leftovers, so I went to the cupboard and pulled down plates, stacking them on the counter in front of the microwave. Lance strolled over to where I stood anchoring the floor in place, and even though he was a smaller man, like Lane, he had no trouble making me feel cornered as he edged close to me.
He sent a look over to Lane, who had started a quiet conversation with Cecil. “Are you enjoying your free ride here? I’m assuming you’re not paying for anything since my son owns the place. How else are you taking advantage of him?”
I stared and stupidly wished for Vane. He’d always been great at rebuttals. I was normally good at bullshitting in a controlled environment, but my mind blanked. I was in love with Lane. There was no way around that. He was also good enough to want me here, and I thought maybe he loved me too. Like fuck I’d say something sappy, though, not to this man who seemed to already hate me. Our feelings weren’t his business.
“Get away from him, Dad.” Lane dragged Lance back a few steps and they did some silent glaring at each other. I could imagine them nose to nose during his teen years and wondered how that had all shaken out, because one appeared just as stubborn as the other.
“Well, I feel like I am. Taking advantage, that is,” I said, and Lance snapped his attention back to me. “But Lane likes me in spite of myself, and he keeps saying he wants me around. I’ll leave whenever he doesn’t want me here anymore.”
Lane lightly shoved Lance on the shoulder. “Which will be on the far side of never. Leave him alone. You’re here to check in on me, right? See me?” He raised his hands and stood there like a statue. “Here I am in one piece. I’m good, Dad. I swear.” He finished his little rant by giving Lance a hug. “But if you don’t lay off Ross, I won’t be. Can you heat the leftovers?” he asked, looking at me. I nodded and inched my way along the counter until I was no longer in their space, and then moved off to do as my Mister had asked. It wasn’t anorderorder, but his tone had been firm, and I knew what he wanted was obedience.
Cecil had taken a seat at the table, and he had his feet propped up on another chair and his hands behind his head, relaxed like he was in the stands at a sport he particularly enjoyed. He flashed me an even white smile, the type of too-perfect toothiness you didn’t see often in New Gothenburg. “Told you it would be something like this, hon.” He leaned to the side until he caught Lane’s attention. “Your dad imagined you a smear on the highway. I said you were locked away with your man.”
“I’ve been working as well,” Lane said, and then my Mister smiled at me as I got out a spoon and began dishing out cream of chicken casserole onto two plates.
“You’re back at the Courtesan?” The displeasure in Lance’s voice was subtle but there, and I was beginning to understand where some of his problem with me might be coming from. “I know it’s about as safe a place for that kind of work as there can be, but I really wish you’d consider doing something different.” His tone held the note of an over-discussed topic.
Lane laughed and went to the cupboard. He pulled down four wineglasses and then moved to the fridge and brought out a bottle of white. He held it up and grinned at Lance. “You’ll want this to celebrate. I know you. I’ve been working with the Blizzards. I’m on their training team now.” He popped the cork with gusto and then turned to pour wine into the glasses.
“Oh, thank everything. You know I don’t judge. I have no problem with sex work, but I’m glad anyway.” He rushed Lane and gave him a hug.
