Page 33 of The Photograph

Glancing down the row, I purse my lips. “Come on. We’ll have fun. I promise.”

“This isn’t my kind of thing,” he says, peering at me from under the curls falling down on his forehead, before looking away.

“You’ll enjoy it, I swear.”

Shaking his head again, he chews his lip, then his hand sneaks out and his index finger tries to catch my pinkie.Fuck, he is so adorable. If I ever get to see or ravish his body, I’m going to be completely fucking overwhelmed.

“Please don’t make me,” he says, voice low.

I twist my fingers right through his. “Let’s do a half hour, and if you hate it, we can leave. You said you wanted to branch out and experience more of the gay side of the city.”

He leans forward, breath hot on my neck, lips almost touching my ear. “The man next to us is dressed in gold lamé shorts,” he whispers. “Every man in this line is wearing something …” He trails off, pursing his lips.

Squinting along the row, I eye up a few metrosexual beards, earrings, a pair of rubber shorts with a harness top, and a tight chainmail T-shirt right beside us.

“I tried to dress you earlier and that’s why we had a fight.”

“Oh, God.” He pulls back and rolls his eyes.

Two guys with open shirts and oiled chests stroll up behind us. One of them gives me a sassy grin.

“I don’t know where to look,” Alex mutters under his breath, staring up at the stars.

I lean into him. “At his gorgeous chest, of course,” I say, smiling at the guy next to us.

“I can’t. I feel inadequate.”

And I love this conversation. Alex is so honest andstraight.

“If I’d seen your chest, I’d be able to reassure you,” I say with a grin.

His mouth turns down as a loud shriek echoes across the road from behind me, and Alex glances over my shoulder, frowning.

“Des! Oh my God! It’s yooooouuu!”

“Someone is heading in our direction in …silver?”Alex says, voice cracking.

“Desssseeeee!”

Turning around, I take in Dimitri tottering toward us in silver stilettos. A glittering vest is cut to his naval displaying all his chest hair. His shorts are indecently tight, and also silver. I want to laugh. I want to cry. A vague memory assaults me of a threesome with Dimitri in a not-so-distant past.

“Oh man, I haven’t seen your gorgeous little ass in such a long time!” he cackles as he careens into us, unsteady on his heels, swooping me up in his big bear hug and spinning me around. Then he sets me down and smacks a kiss right on my lips.Oh, Jesus, what must Alex be thinking?But Dimitri’s eyes have already drifted over my shoulder and are widening.

“Oh my! Who’sthis?” Stepping away from me, he puts his arms out to his side like he’s framing Alex’s body and does a whole scan of him. “Absolutely gorgeous,” he says, smirking at me as he purses his mouth. “I’d expect nothing less,” he adds with a wave of his hand.

He flutters his eyelashes at Alex and steps forward, putting his hands on his shoulders, then kisses him on both cheeks.

“I’m Dimitri. Any friend of Des’s is a friend of mine. Hopefully more than a friend, if you catch my drift,” he adds, giving Alex an outrageous false-eyelashed wink and turning back to me.

“I’ll see you inside, gorgeous.” He pats my cheek as he tilts dangerously into me. “I approve,” he whispers in a loud stage voice. Then he leans back and wags his finger. “I want a dance tonight, a slow one. Perhaps with you too, sweetie.” He bats his eyelashes again at Alex.

Alex stares after him as he totters off down the sidewalk presumably to join a friend closer to the front of the line. “Who’s he?” he says as Dimitri emits another shriek.

“Dimitri. I think I had a threesome with him once.” And I wince. That was a bit of an overshare. Something about Alex’s straight honesty suggests that nothing but the truth will do.

His eyes widen on me. “Wow,” he says, looking at Dimitri’s retreating back. “You have such a history,” he mutters.

Ugh. Judgy statement or what.

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