Page 21 of Vail

“This is amazing,” Dominic told me. I’d heard he was a dancer at Untouchable. He was the same height as Jordan, only a hair taller than Perry, with dark brown hair and gray eyes.

Perry was more formal when speaking, especially to his uncle. Their relationship had been strained over the years, although Perry didn’t seem as irritated to be here as Peyton did. He kept close to Perry’s side, his eyes sweeping the people in attendance, taking his job as Perry’s bodyguard seriously.

“Oh!” Dominic exclaimed. “There’s Romeo. I’ll be back.” Before Peyton could protest, Dominic wove through the crowd to where Romeo stood near the back. Dash was at his side, with his arm around Romeo’s waist.

This wasn’t ideal for Romeo. Tristan mentioned Romeo had severe anxiety but wanted to come for Tristan and Jordan. I was important to them, which meant I was to Romeo as well.

No one would put Romeo and Jordan together though. Not with the way Romeo held back and didn’t interact with Jordan. It could easily be played off as him being here for Tristan.

Next thing I knew, I was swept away to meet more prominent people in Dremest. There were reporters mingling, taking candid photos and some where people were asked to pose. In one of them, I stood with Jordan and Vail, me in the middle making it glaringly obvious how much taller they were than me.

I worried about Gil seeing it and getting pissed, but Vail put me at ease. If he wasn’t worried, I tried not to be. Jordan was concerned enough for all three of us. Neither of them wanted to dim my party because of the uncertainty with Gil.

People grabbed appetizers while I said a short speech. It was a reintroduction to the city, to the people who could make my career. Jordan had a lot of connections and used them, going to each person and thanking them personally for their attendance. When he returned to my side, he muttered something about him being soft, then planted a kiss on my lips before grabbing a drink.

Vail didn’t drift far for me. He’d mingle close by, always there in case I needed an out from another talking far too long or far too much about a topic. I wanted their business, not their life stories. Yes, it was part of the whole getting to know them and making connections, but fuck me, this was going too far. I didn’t care about their upcoming or past surgeries or if they were leaving for vacation soon. I pretended I did though. Smile and nod and all of that.

Dominic was a social butterfly, floating around the party, sampling food, stopping to pop a bite into one of his partners’ mouths. How he had that much energy was anyone’s guess.

“Hartley!” he exclaimed when his rounds brought him to me again. “I love this sweater.” He glided his hand down my arm. “Could you make it in magenta?”

“I can. It’s one of my favorites. The material is so soft, it doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything.”

He grinned. “That’s my kind of clothing. You should visit Untouchable to watch Romeo and me shake our asses.” His voice dropped to say, “Among other things. And to push your business a little more. That’s what we’re here for, but the ass shaking would be a nice perk at the club.” He winked.

A shadow fell over us as an arm protectively wrapped around Dominic’s waist from behind. He let out a startled squeak.

“Not everyone wants to see you strip, vixen,” Peyton said near Dominic’s ear. I was close enough to hear him.

Dominic turned to face him. “You just like it when I give you and Perry private shows.”

Peyton nipped at his chin. “They’re the best kind.”

And on that note… I slid away from them and into a conversation with another guest.

By the end of the party, when there was only a handful of us left, I was completely exhausted, but I had a long list of new clients interested in commissioning my work. It further fueled my desire for an eventual store. One thing at a time. I had to build up my finances so I could hire more staff. Growth was a good thing. I couldn’t have done this without Jordan and Vail by my side throughout the evening, and every day they’d been with me.

10

VAIL

Having dinner with my sister and Dana was no different than eating in my home. They were my family. I didn’t feel the need to dress up or do anything special, except it was the day before my birthday. Having them over made me want to make sure everyone got along. Irene offered to cook dinner, but this was my family and I wanted to be the one to feed them.

Hartley practically bounced with how excited he was to see Cat again. It had been a long time since they last spoke.

I would have loved to have my parents here. They lived in North Carolina, so I didn’t see them much. When they heard who I was dating and how very public it went, they told me they couldn’t visit me unless Jordan wasn’t there. I didn’t expect them to jump up and down and congratulate me. They could have at least agreed to meet him at some point and said they were happy for me.

My parents took a while to come around after I told them I was gay. It was why I spent a lot of time with Forest. It was easier there. No one judged me.

I wouldn’t change who I was for anyone. My parents and I slowly rebuilt our relationship, but it wasn’t the best. Adding in Jordan didn’t help. Hartley was a different story. They remembered him being a little kid and sometimes tagging along with Forest and me during the rare times we were at my house. My mom tsked and asked what Forest thought. I didn’t bother to tell her I hadn’t heard from him in a long time, or that it didn’t make a difference if he was pissed or not. I wouldn’t let others dictate my relationships.

But tonight wasn’t about anyone else but the three of us, my sister, and Dana. I had to be on my game, not that Dana judged my cooking. I’d learned from him and wanted to do my best. Over time, my skills improved vastly. I no longer second-guessed what I did. Now it was a matter of making sure it was to the best of my ability.

“It smells good in here,” Hartley said, drifting into the kitchen. His feet were still bare. He wore a pair of slim-cut slacks and a fitted long-sleeved black V-neck. While Jordan always looked put together in his suits, Hartley was put together whenever we had guests, or when he left the house in designs he created. His talent had me in awe.

I left the spoon in the pot to put my arm around him and lean down to nuzzle my face against his neck, breathing him in. He always smelled so good. Jordan said it was a crisp scent. To me, Hartley smelled like comfort and home.

“You know how much I love when you touch me, but if you don’t stop, I’m going to get hard,” he said. “That’s not how I want Cat to see me.”

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