Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“Either that, or the whole thing’s going to blow up in his face. It could go either way.”
8
Daniel
On Thursday, I brought lunch to my friends. Timothy and I had worked together for years, and we’d quit our restaurant jobs around the same time. We were also housemates briefly at the pink Victorian, before he moved in with his boyfriend Aleksei.
Now Timothy was recovering from a skateboarding accident that had left him with a broken arm and a broken leg, and Aleksei was on an extended leave of absence from his company, so he could take care of him. I hadn’t been a hundred percent sold on Aleksei at first, but after the accident, he’d totally stepped up. I appreciated the way he doted on my friend and barely left his side, at a time when Timothy needed him most.
Also, I thought it was interesting that the difference in their ages was almost the same as mine and Malcolm’s. It had surprised me at first that Malcolm and I got along as well as we did, and that we had so much in common. But here was another couple with a huge age gap, and they were totally making it work.
Not that Malcolm and I were a couple…
I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on lunch, which had come from a fantastic Italian deli. We ate in the living room, so Timothy could sit sideways on the couch with his leg up. They’d recently furnished the room together, and it was sophisticated and modern, with more artistic flair than I’d have expected buttoned-down CEO Aleksei to go for.
While we ate, I told them about all that had happened over the past week. Timothy hadn’t been totally on board with my plan for seeking revenge on my ex by pursuing Malcolm, and I could tell he still had some concerns. But they both tried to be supportive as I rambled on.
Then I told them, “By the way, I may be hard to reach for the next week. We’re flying to Vancouver in the morning, and from there we’re taking a boat to a private island. That’s where the lodge and the cabin Malcolm rented are located. I’m not sure how the internet and phone service will be.”
Timothy looked concerned as he pushed his dark curls out of his eyes. “It’s pretty obvious you like this guy. So, are you really willing to blow up your relationship by using him to get back at his son? The whole reason you wanted to go to that wedding was to torture your ex and make him miserable. I can’t imagine Malcolm’s going to be thrilled about his role in that.”
“This isn’t a relationship. It’s a two-week fling that was always meant to go down in flames. Why would a man as gorgeous, talented, and successful as Malcolm Sterling think, ‘hey, you know who I want to end up with? An unemployed waiter from Bellflower.’ Seriously, in what universe would that happen?”
Timothy frowned at that. “You’re really selling yourself short.”
“Maybe, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I doomed us from the start by not being up front with him about dating his son. It’s a built-in deal breaker, because I intentionally lied to him. So, why not go ahead with my original plan and Thelma and Louise us right off a cliff? In the meantime, I fully intend to enjoy every minute of this for what it is—a quick, high-speed joyride that can only end in disaster.”
“I suppose that’s one way to look at it,” my friend muttered.
A little while later, when Aleksei went to take the dishes to the kitchen, I said, “For someone who’s broken fifty percent of your limbs, you seem awfully happy. I take it living together is agreeing with you.”
His blue eyes lit up when he smiled. “It is. Aleksei’s been such an angel. He was a total workaholic before, and I used to wonder if he’d ever change. But since my accident, he’s been right here, taking care of me around the clock. He checks in with the office once in a while since he couldn’t abandon his staff and clients, but he’s completely made me his priority. I can’t tell you how good that feels.”
“So, speaking of stuff that feels good…” That was a super awkward transition, but I really wanted to discuss this with him while his boyfriend was out of the room. “Now I get why you’ve always been into older guys. Why didn’t you tell me they’re incredible in the sack? I should have guessed, though. A guy in his forties would have had two more decades to hone his skills, versus a guy in his twenties.”
Timothy looked amused. “In other words, you’re having sex with Malcolm, and it’s good.”
“No, it’s not good. It’s phenomenal. Not to sound like the whore of Babylon or anything, but I’ve slept with a hell of a lot of guys over the years, and it was never like this. Turns out I should have been hanging out at the AARP offices, instead of the clubs.”