Page 4 of Joey's Trick

He could practically hear the pout. Vince Kilner was the assistant to the CEO of All-Star Formula for the last six months. Joey had made the mistake of hooking up with Vince for a couple of nights and now Vince thought it gave him exclusive rights to Joey whenever he wanted. He’d tried on more than one occasion to blow Vince off, but Vince didn’t seem to want to take the hint. Even when Joey hit him over the head with it like a sledgehammer. “Had to go out of town,” Joey grunted into the phone.

“Oh. Where to?”

Nosy fucker. “Personal business. What do you want, Vince?”

“I wanted to give you the chance to take me to dinner, baby. I miss you.”

Joey rolled his eyes. He didn’t do relationships, and he’d made that perfectly clear the night he’d fucked Vince. “I told you already, Vince, it was a onetime thing.”

“Come on, Joey, don’t be like that. We’re good together. You know you enjoyed what I did with my mouth and I can do it again.” Vince dropped his tone a few octaves, going for a seductive quality. Joey rolled his eyes. His cock didn’t respond. Even if he hadn’t been so upset after his run-in with Trick, he wouldn’t be interested.

“Look, I gotta go.”

“Wait, Jo-”

Joey disconnected the call. He dropped the cell onto the bed and fell backward, closing his eyes. Vince hadn’t helped his mood. If anything, his call had made it blacker and Joey scowled harder. He opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling. Damn, he should have just made up an excuse to not come back home. He knew this was a mistake. He needed to get out of the house and away from the one man who could always make him feel like a failure, like he was back in high school and he was the same geek hero worshipping the football quarterback. Like he’d never grown up and become someone more, something more.

Pushing himself off the bed, Joey knew what he needed to get his mind off Trick. He rifled through his suitcase and pulled out a pair of tight red jeans and a black tank top before stripping off his clothing. It didn’t take but a few moments for him to redress, forgoing any underwear, and spike up his hair. A bit of black eyeliner brought out the emerald green of his eyes, so they were practically snapping in the dim light of the mirror over the dresser.

He knew he’d only just gotten to his parents’ house, but the idea of staying there while Trick was around made his blood boil and his skin itch. He dug out the pair of black boots he’d brought with him and shoved his feet in them. They didn’t take long tolace up. Then he made sure he had a condom and a small packet of lube in his wallet before he stuffed it in his back pocket and put his car key fob in his front pocket, along with his cell. Taking a quick look in the mirror, Joey considered himself ready with a slight smirk and a casual tilt of his head. He opened the bedroom door to find Anthony standing there.

“What?” Joey asked when he saw the judgmental expression on his brother’s face.

“You’re going out?” Anthony asked, eyeing Joey’s clothing and hair.

“Obviously,” Joey said, brushing past Anthony toward the stairs.

Anthony followed on his heels. “But you just got here.”

“I need to get out for a bit.”

“Joey!” Anthony said sharply.

Joey halted halfway down the stairs. “What, Anthony?”

“Don’t do this. Mom and Dad… they’ve really missed you.”

Scowling, Joey spun around to look up at Anthony. He didn’t need the guilt bullshit right now. “I’ll be back tonight. I’m not going to be gone long.”

“What happened with Trick?” Anthony asked, hitting the problem square on the head.

Joey stiffened, his shoulders tightening. “Nothing,” he snapped.

Anthony came closer, stopping on the step just above Joey. “I know it’s been a long time since we’ve been close, Joey, but we’re brothers. I hope you know you can talk to me. I saw the way he came back into the house. It was obvious something had upset him and I know he followed you outside. What’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on, Ant.” Joey easily slipped into the nickname he’d always used with his brother growing up. “I just really need some time to myself, to clear my head. I’ll be back in a couple hours. Just… cover for me, okay?”

Sighing, Anthony reached out and squeezed Joey’s shoulder. “All right, but we’re going to talk when you get back.”

Joey would have snorted and replied with a negative remark, but he needed out of there so he just gave a passive smile and a nod. “Sure, Ant.”

Turning on his heel, he sprinted down the remaining stairs, brushed past his relatives with as few words as he could when they called to him, and made it through the front door unscathed. The tension didn’t ease from his shoulders until he’d slipped into his car and started the engine. His eyes locked with Trick’s, standing in the shadows on the side of the house, as he put the car in reverse.

Joey clenched his jaw at the sight of him, but backed off of the grass without flooring it, knowing his parents would probably pitch a fit if he tore up their lawn. He could just barely discern Trick’s features and he almost thought he saw sorrow on Trick’s face, but mentally scoffed it away. As if the great Trick Harrison would ever feel anything resembling an emotion which required a heart.

Night had fallen completely and the lights from the streetlamps flashed over the windshield as Joey drove toward Wilton Manors. He didn’t know if any of the familiar places were still around, but there had to be at least one bar or club. He needed to lose himself in another warm body, to forget about the one man he’d never been able to get out of his mind, despite the time and distance he’d put between them.

Joey slammed his fist into the steering wheel as his throat tightened. Goddamn it! He’d thought he’d put all of this behind him. Five minutes in Trick’s presence and it all came flooding back; the same insecurities and the same feelings of inadequacies which had driven him to stay away from his own family for seven fucking years. How could just one glimpse of Trick almost bring him to his knees?

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