Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
“You’re right, for nothing,” Dallas agreed. Ducky nodded, a confirming single nod as Greer let him go, allowing him room to release the small button at his neck. It seemed the first real breath he’d had since dressing that morning.
“Hey. You gotta look the part all the time,” Greer said, eyeing the way Ducky was disrobing, wrapping an arm around Ducky’s shoulders. “Never break. You’ll get used to it.”
“My plan’s to remove this shirt and turn my T-shirt inside out, or right side out, whichever. I like your clothes, Greer, but I think I like ’em better on you.”
Dallas barked out a laugh as they started for the exit.
“There’s a dumpling place not far from here that I heard the staff talking about,” Dallas said, catching the side exit door and pushing it open for Ducky to walk out first. “Let’s get something to eat while my little brother, the celebrity, tells us what it was like.”
“Plan,” Ducky said and followed through with his threat, pulling his shirt tails free. The weight of the world lifted, and in its place slid relief. The months he’d prepared for this moment weren’t for nothing. He’d done it. “Here. Hold these.”
Ducky handed Dallas his suit coat, dress shirt, and silk tie as Greer went to the curb to hail a cab. Ducky pulled the T-shirt over his head, quickly changing sides.
“Come on. I got a cab,” Greer said from the curb then dropped his hand, turning back to Ducky with shocked outrage. “Ducky! What are you doing?”
That question blanketed so many possible topics, and Ducky didn’t care to answer any of them. He’d gotten a good dose of sophisticated clothing, which in his opinion bordered on torture. The clothes were too claustrophobic for him. He needed a style that fit somewhere in the middle because the thought of wearing these clothes all the time sent a shiver down his spine. He went for the cab, pulling the T-shirt down his body.
“I believe I’m the celebrity so that makes you my entourage, not my mentor.” Ducky barely got the joke out before sliding into the backseat of the cab. Greer’s mouth dropped open, rendering him speechless, causing Ducky and Dallas both to laugh hilariously. Greer was never at a loss for words.
Chad could feel the deep etch of the frown on his face. They were still in the middle of the live stream. His reaction to Ducky and the award show or, maybe better said, the lack of a reaction was being witnessed by the millions of people tuned in, but he doubted anyone paid attention to him with such a hottie like Ducky on the screen.
He needed to gather himself. Get a hold of all these resurfacing desires he thought he’d processed and dealt with years ago. The only way to get that time was by leaving the room, taking a few minutes to himself. Yet, his ass remained planted in the seat, his gaze riveted to the small screen, held utterly captivated by the Twitch commentary and replay clips of Ducky and the new Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer.
The shock of Ducky’s transformation slowly morphed into fascination. Ducky was the most authentic person he had ever known. The friend who grounded Chad the most. Who made him feel normal and whole and was now grinning on a stage in front of millions of people as if he owned that audience. Ducky lit up the stage with his presence and stood in such a way that he exuded confidence, as if he did these kinds of things all the time.
Did he not know Ducky at all?
Chad raced through his memories, replaying the nervousness in Ducky’s voice when he spoke about the upcoming show. He never hinted at any of these changes in his appearance. Chad tucked his hands in his cargo shorts, hoping to make extra room to hide his rigid hard-on. He let himself get lost in what he was seeing. Ducky was gorgeous. Truly handsome. He suspected there was muscle growth under the tight-fitting suit.
Yeah, apparently, he hadn’t reconciled any of the longing he’d had for Ducky all these years. Now there was a new version for Chad to lose his shit over. Not a better model, just another side to Ducky’s enormous depth.
As the commentary came to an end, and Ducky disappeared from the screen, the message board zipped up the side in lightning speed. Chad didn’t engage. He needed to take an emotional step back. He rose from his seat and shoved the chair underneath the table, trying to keep the obvious reaction in his shorts unseen. “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Yeah, I got this.” Kai’s hand came out, slapping Chad’s. “Our boy gave us a curve. He was extra tho.”
“Like fire,” Chad responded, sounding lame, and pointed to the message boards. “He’s calling to do a remote with us soon. I’ll be back.”