There was a knock on the door and Lane turned to open it. “Who forgot what?” he asked, but there was a smile in his voice.
Lance stomped inside and then stood with his hands on his hips, and Cecil was right behind him, arms crossed and a smug smile playing on his lips.
“I might have been unreasonable.” He looked at me over Lane’s shoulder. “I don’t know you, but my son likes you, so that’s something.”
“Ross means a lot to me.” Lane glanced at Cecil. “You don’t really have a hotel lined up, do you?”
“No.”
I chuckled in spite of the loaded situation. Lane shut the door again and locked it as his parents wandered back into the apartment. I went to the kitchen and finished heating up the forgotten food. While Lance was still cool toward me, he was much more civil after I dropped a plate of food in front of him at the kitchen table, and Cecil gave me a wink. I paused, horrified as I looked at the food I’d just given Lane’s already touchy dad.
“Um, I’m not up on what is and isn’t allowed for kosher foods, but I don’t think this is it, is it? I could check the fridge—”
“I draw the line at pig bacon.” Lance waved a fork. “Don’t worry about it.”
Cecil laughed and started a conversation about their neighbors back in Pleasant Beach, who Lane apparently knew. I’d already brought Cecil his plate of food and was leaned against the counter munching on cherry tomatoes from a bag in the fridge when Lance turned to look at me. I stilled because I hadn’t been paying attention to a word they said.
“Ross, can I ask what was going through your head? Because I just don’t get it.”
Nothingwas on the tip of my tongue, but I figured that would only make me look irresponsible. “What do you mean?”
“I’m mayor of Pleasant Beach.” Lance narrowed his eyes on me, and I withered inside.Great.He wasn’t just judging me as a parent, but also as a professional. “I know what it takes to run a city.”
I sighed and dropped the bag of cherry tomatoes on the counter, popping a last one between my teeth. I crushed it and let the sweetly tart inside squish around while I chewed and stared at my shoes instead of him. “I was thinking I didn’t give enough of a shit about it. I mean, at the time I wasn’t self-aware enough to realize it, but I’m glad to be out of office. It was a lot of pressure. Constant pressure. The crime situation in New Gothenburg alone is enough to give someone an ulcer.”
Lance grunted, and again I got the impression he didn’t think too much of me. “You could have stepped down and saved yourself embarrassment and blacklisting.”
I picked the bag of cherry tomatoes up and made a big deal out of opening the fridge and tossing them back in. “Aside from the jail time, I’m pretty sure my way was more fun.”
Lance shook his head and Cecil chuckled, but the smirk Lane gave me was so smug I wished we were alone so I could do lots of dirty things for him.
It was late before their conversation wound down, and I was happy when Lane asked me to go and make sure the guest room was ready for his parents. It gave me something to do and let them have the few minutes alone I was sure they needed. When I got back to our room, my Mister drew me into his arms.
“Thank you,” I said and kissed the corner of his plush lips. I loved his mouth and took the time to tease mine over his again.
“For what?”
I shuffled away from him and lifted my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor. He studied me like there would be a test later. “You were willing to stand up for me.”
“Of course. I’m your Mister. The pants, too. Fuck, I love you in your underwear.”
“Anything you say, Mister,” I murmured, and it gave me a thrill to see his eyes warm with desire when I stepped out of my shoes and then unbuckled my pants. I shoved the jeans down. There was nothing better than being able to tell by the tent at his fly and the way he devoured me with his gaze that my Mister wanted me.
“Get on the bed,” he said. “And raise that ass in the air. Not a sound, either, or you’ll be in trouble.”
I’d never moved so fast to obey an order in my life.
* * *
The next morningwe all ate an early breakfast together, but Lane urged his parents out the door along with him in record time, maybe because he could tell I was going quietly out of my mind with them around and wouldn’t have survived the day with them in my space.
“Are you sure you have time for this?” Cecil asked as he blinked blearily.
“I cleared my schedule. It’s not like you visit often. You can check out the lakefront. There’s a lot to do! The market by the lake is quaint, and there isn’t anything like it in Pleasant Beach,” he rambled cheerfully as he hustled them out the front door, and I mouthed a “thank you” to him when he glanced over his shoulder with a smile. He smelled so good after a shower and shave, and he wore shorts with a button fly that had my fingers itching to undo the buttons and a silky white shirt with no sleeves. He was able to pull off relaxed sophistication in a way I’d never mastered. The thrill of having someone who looked that good stare at me like he wanted to fuck me when he got home later was a high that would carry me through the entire day.
“I’ll meet you at the elevator,” he said at the door, and then he came back to me.
“Thanks. I don’t think I could stand to function with your dad using his eyeballs to judge every move I make.”
