Page 23 of Joey's Trick

“I’m still going to knock him on his ass,” Anthony growled.

Joey shook his head. “Please let it go. It’s over. I just want to move past this.”

“Are you and he… involved now?” Anthony asked.

“Hell, if I know what we are. Right now, I’m just trying to get my head wrapped around the eight years of believing he hated me for being gay. I spent a lot of time angry because of him.” And depressed, but Joey didn’t add that.

Anthony placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head backward, gazing up at the blue sky overhead. “Does this mean you’ll stop avoiding coming home? I’ve had to watch Mom cry almost every Christmas and Thanksgiving you weren’t home for.”

Not for the first time, remorse stabbed Joey hard. “Yeah, I’ll be home more often. I promise.”

Tilting his head so he could peer at Joey from the corner of his eye. “I’m glad. I’ve missed you, squirt.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “I’m the same height as you now and a bit more muscle. Don’t think you can get away with calling me squirt anymore.”

“You’ll always be a squirt to me,” Anthony said, grabbing Joey in a loose headlock and rubbing his hair.

Trick pulled into the driveway at that moment, and Anthony abruptly released him. Joey glanced up to see a deep scowl on Anthony’s face directed at Trick. “Come on, Ant. You promised.”

When Trick saw the way Anthony was looking at him, he exited the vehicle slowly. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Before Joey could say anything, Anthony strode toward Trick and popped him on the jaw, sending Trick colliding with the side of his truck. “That’s for my brother and for being an asshole!”

“Anthony!” Joey shouted, rushing to Trick’s side.

Trick rubbed his jaw and shook his head at Joey. “It’s okay. I deserved it.”

“You’re damn right you did,” Anthony growled. “If you hurt him again, I’ll kick your ass even harder.”

“If I hurt him again, I’ll let you,” Trick replied.

Anthony seemed mollified and nodded his head. “Damn right.”

After that, everything just went back to normal. A fact which just baffled Joey. He’d never had a friend who he could argue with that would just brush shit off after they’d had it out. Trick wrapped an arm around Joey’s waist on the way into the house and Joey didn’t know how he felt about that, but he just let it go, ignoring the warmth in his chest at Trick’s possessive move.

7

The pattern of Trick coming over for dinner with Joey’s family and then Joey going back to Trick’s repeated for the next two nights. But the day before Joey was due to return to Orlando, the shit hit the fan. After a long night of amazing sex, Trick dropped Joey at his parents’ house, promising to see him after work. Joey went for his usual run and when he turned the corner of his parent’s street, he saw a familiar car in the driveway.

Anger and tension flooded Joey. He knew all too well who owned the blue Honda Acura parked there. What the fuck? Joey raced up the drive and into the house. “Mom?”

“In the kitchen, sweetie.”

Joey rushed in and saw exactly who he didn’t want to be sitting in a chair at the table with a cup of coffee in front of him. “Vince, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Joseph Waters!” his mother reprimanded. “We don’t talk to guests like that!”

Vince smiled at him. “Hey, baby! I was just talking with your mom about how we met.”

Admittedly, the guy was smoking hot with platinum blond hair, light violet eyes, and a slender but toned body. Joey hadenjoyed manhandling the little twink during the two nights he’d spent with the guy, but damn if he didn’t regret that he’d given into his cock. “How the hell did you get my parent’s address?”

Vince pouted. “I wanted to surprise you and convinced Jenny in HR to give it to me from your emergency contacts.”

Joey growled, loudly. “This is fucked up, Vince! I told you we weren’t together. You need to leave. Now.”

Joey’s mother must have realized something wasn’t right about the situation and didn’t reprimand him for his language this time. She just kept a watchful eye on their conversation. Vince stood and went up to him. “But, baby, I thought you were just teasing me. I know you weren’t serious.”

Fists clenching at his sides, Joey couldn’t believe how delusional the guy was turning out to be. “My blocking your texts and calls should have been more than enough to tell you that whatever we had is over. Go home. It was only sex. I told you that.”

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