“Huh.” I cast him a sideways glance.
“What?” Trevor narrowed his lined eyes as he peered up at me.
“Nothing. You know a lot about the man, that’s all.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I’ve been working for the man for a long time.”
It was more than that, and everyone who spent five seconds around Trevor and Parker knew it.
“How long?”
He sighed. “I’m twenty-eight, and I’ve been working for him since the day I turned twenty-one.”
My eyes nearly fell out of my head. “For real?”
He nodded, gnawing on his lower lip. “Yep, I waited tables at an Italian restaurant he owned before opening Top Shelf. He sold it about two years ago, wanting to focus more of his attention on the club.”
“And the whole time you’ve been obsessed with him?”
Sighing, Trevor nodded. “The whole time. Pathetic, right?”
“Nah.” Heartbreaking, maybe, but not pathetic. “Anything ever happen there?”
“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p.’ “Not a once. Parker is… complex.”
I laughed. “Yeah, I get that impression.” As I spoke, I unbuttoned the large buttons on my peacoat. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think your feelings are unreciprocated.”
He snorted. “You know, Ryder, that actually makes it ten times worse.” He shrugged out of his coat and cast me a sad smile.
Yeah. I could see that. Wanting someone so badly and knowing they wanted you but couldn’t or wouldn’t move forward for whatever reason had to feel like a daily knife to the heart.
“Gentlemen, I apologize for keeping you waiting. Please forgive me.”
The newcomer jerked us out of our depressing conversation. He was an older man, probably in his fifties, wearing a perfectlypressed charcoal suit. His snowy white hair had a slight curl he’d tamed into a neat style atop his head.
“I’ll take your coats and take you to where Parker and his guests are enjoying drinks.”
“Thank you, James,” Trevor said as he handed over his jacket.
James, huh? Clearly, this wasn’t Trevor’s first time, probably not even his tenth, visiting Parker’s home.
“Yes, thank you,” I echoed as I draped my coat over his waiting arm.
“Follow me, please,” James said, turning.
I glanced down to find Trevor looking up at me with an amused grin. “So formal,” I whispered.
Nodding, he linked his arm through mine. “That’s Parker for you.”
We followed James down a hallway, where more impressive artwork filled the walls. It appeared my boss had an extensive collection of paintings.
“Do me a favor?” Trevor asked as we trailed a few feet behind James.
“Sure, what do you need?”
“Lay off Alex tonight.” His eyes no longer sparkled at me—they’d gone serious and almost lethal. “Whatever you think you know about Alex, whatever impressions he gave you when you guys were younger, they’re wrong. He’s a good guy… the best, actually. Now, I happen to think he has the wrong idea about you, too, but make no mistake, my loyalty lies with Alex. And if it comes down to choosing my allegiance, I’ll choose him. I’d appreciate not having to do that, so like I said, lay off him tonight.”
I’d wondered if Alex had spoken to anyone at work about our dislike of one another. I guess he had. My stomach twisted atTrevor’s fierce expression. He might be the smallest guy in the room, but he wasn’t the meekest.
