Page 82 of Off Balance

“Dom,” he says, dwarfing the other guy’s hand in his. “You a baseball fan?”

“You could say that. My husband and brother both play for Tampa Bay.”

“No shit?”

“No shit,” Ellis says, quirking a smile. “And you’re Cameron, right?” he asks me. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“All filthy lies, I promise.”

“Even the good stuff?”

“Probably.

“Cam, you and Ellis have a lot in common,” Antoni calls, unpacking what looks like photography equipment. “Ellis is also a power bottom.”

Dom chokes.

“What the actual fuck, Antoni?!” I scowl at him, and he grins evilly. He knows exactly what he’s doing.

“What? It felt like pertinent information.”

“You’re a dick. Apologize to poor Dom,” I say, thumping him lightly on the back.

“Like he doesn’t know already?” Lifting my hand in a cutting gesture, I give Antoni the signal to shut the fuck up before I slit his throat.

“Oh… I thought… because…” he purses his lips. “Ugh.You’re no fun.”

Dom turns to Ellis, trying his best to pretend there’s nothing untoward happening, and this is all perfectly normal. Which, for Antoni, it kind of is. “There’s a lot of camera equipment here. I thought you were drawing the portrait?”

“I will, but I figured we might not have time for you to pose for that long. It takes several hours, and that’s after we choose a pose.”

“Oh.” He doesn’t look like that would appeal to him at all.

Ellis pulls out a camera and plays with the settings, showing Dom some examples of how he’s done the other portraits.

While they’re talking, I walk over to Antoni and smack him upside his head.

“What was that for?”

“You know what. For someone so much older and more mature, you’d think you’d have given up on trying to embarrass me in front of my boyfriends.”

“So he’s your boyfriend now, is he?” Antoni has been keeping up with the drama unfolding in my life through regular text messages.

“I don’t know, maybe,” I say, trying not to grin like an idiot.

“But you’re not fucking?”

“I didn’t say that,” I whisper-yell, miming for him to be quieter. “We are, just… I’m topping him.”

Antoni drops the reflective umbrella he’s holding. “Do what?” he screeches.

Dom and Ellis glance over from where they’re discussing potential poses.

“If you don’t shut up, I’m never telling you anything ever again. No details. Ever.”

He pouts. ”But he’s straight! And you are the bottomiest bottom that ever bottomed!” he whisper shouts.

“Not anymore,” I say, unable to keep the dirty grin off my face.

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