Could he be right? Had Luke been concerned for me squaring off against his daddy? Or just worried in general?
Thefollowingweekendwasanother event, another reason to get dressed to the nines and donate money for a worthy cause.
And another weekend to see Asher. Denial had fled, screaming, after the auction.
Across a crowded room, with people ready to open their wallets and purses to donate Thanksgiving meals to hungry families, stood the very man who’d made my dick harder than it had ever been in my life.
No one had confronted my father the way he had, and over such a small thing too. Spilled food? I wasn’t sure anyone would face off against James Dorset for less than a million dollars’ worth of something. But Asher had.
Surrounded by my father’s friends and fellow business owners, Asher had held his ground and backed James Dorset into submission. Not that he hadn’t deserved it, but no one dared call Father out on his prejudice.
Father met social interactions the same way he did business opportunities: with a bulldozer. He moved hard and fast. Whileothers were still shaking their heads and wondering what the hell happened, Father had moved on to the next venture. He commanded respect and attention. He led trends and boardrooms.
Yet, against Asher, the freshman college student who’d charmed my ass, all while wearing a fucking dress, he … Well, Father had apologized. I might never see it again, but there it was.
And there Asher was, smiling and talking animatedly with the same younger man he’d had with him last weekend while the blonde, his cousin, came and went.
“Unbelievable.”
“What’s that?” William asked.
“Uh, nothing.”
William craned his neck and zeroed in on Asher. “Who is that you’re staring at?”
“That’s, uh, that’s the man who had the run-in with my father last week.”
William grinned and scrunched his brows. “Him? That kid?” He’d missed the action, but the gossip had made the rounds.
“Yeah.” I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. Yeah, him, that kid. AkidI couldn’t get out of my mind.
“Come on, let’s go say hello.”
Before I could think of an excuse not to or flat out say no, William marched toward Asher.
The young man with him nudged Asher and glanced at us, being less than subtle as he pointed to William, with me trailing behind him. Asher widened his eyes, then glanced around before biting his lip. Jesus, who was thiskid?
“Good evening.” William nodded at the pair.
Asher blinked at me, then at William, and then at me again.
The younger man cocked a hip and sat his free hand on it. “Hi there, I’m Percy.” He tilted his head to Asher and shrugged, then winked and twitched his nose. Good Lord, he was … expressive.
“Name’s William Stovall. I’m friends with Luke here.”
“This is Asher,” Percy said when Asher remained quiet.
“I heard about what happened last Saturday with his father,” William said, tossing a thumb in my direction.
Asher stood straighter, sat his plate on the small table behind him, then rubbed his palms down his trousers. “Right. Yeah. Um, why?” Percy bumped him with his elbow, jolting him. “I mean, why are we still talking ’bout that? It was nothin’.”
“Nothing?” William laughed. “Nothing, he says. Why haven’t we met before? Are your parents part of those fools?” He gestured behind him. William had always been good at speaking on anyone’s level. Put him in a room full of royalty or blue-collar workers, and he’d come away with new friends.
“Oh. No?” Asher darted those pretty eyes at me. He definitely wasn’t the confident, cocky man from last week. “I’m here, uh, we’re here with my cousin.”
“Nice to meet you both.” William shook Asher’s offered hand, then returned Percy’s wave in greeting.
Asher turned to me, holding the same hand out. I glanced at it, then to the smile fighting its way onto his face.
