Page 6 of Rico

“Where’s your brother?”

“At some girl’s birthday party.”

Evan stood and grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone from his dresser. “None of your friends are doing anything tonight?”

“Nothing I feel like doing. I thought maybe you’d want to go to a movie or something, but it’s no big deal.” He got to his feet and headed for the door.

Evan followed him. Brian’s sullen attitude bothered him, but he knew better than to push too hard to find out why. Teenagers’ mood swings for inane reasons were common. “Tell you what—let’s give your mom a break from cooking tomorrow and go to Chili’s for dinner, and then we’ll see the new James Bond movie. Sound good?”

Brian’s face lit up with a hopeful expression. “It would sound better if we saw that new horror movie,Evil Lies Within.”

“Mom hates horror movies—so does your brother.”

“But you love them as much as I do. We can split up.”

He considered that for a moment. “All right. If your mom’s cool with it, they can go see whatever they want, and we’ll seeEvil Lies Within.” A glance at his watch told him he was going tobe late. “Shoot, I’ve gotta run.” He put his hand on the back of Brian’s head and kissed his forehead. “Love you, kiddo. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Lock up when you leave.”

“’Kay. Have a good time.”

“Thanks.”

“Holy crap. Is that Magnus Keller talking to Scout and Alex?” Evan whispered to Rico, who chuckled as they strolled into the gallery after showing their invitation to the bouncers at the door. Yup, big, burly men blocked the door from anyone wanting to get in without the proverbial golden ticket. The large gallery buzzed with men in tuxes and women in gowns, talking and checking out the art on the walls that probably cost more than Evan made in a year. Champagne flutes and hors d'oeuvres were passed around by a smartly dressed waitstaff.

“Yeah. Want to meet him?”

He shook his head almost violently. “No ... not yet. I think I need a drink before that happens. I’d probably trip over my own tongue.”

Rico leaned over, gave him a swift kiss on the mouth, and then laughed at Evan’s blush. “I’d rather be the one tripping over your tongue.” He took Evan’s hand and gave it a gentle tug, gesturing toward a bar tucked into one corner of the main room. “C’mon. A drink first, and then we’ll rub elbows with the movie stars.”

“There are more celebrities here?” He glanced around, trying to see if he recognized anyone else famous. He spotted the mayor of San Francisco and the placekicker for the 49ers, both with their spouses. A female CBS news correspondent chatted with a man who looked familiar, but Evan couldn’t place him.

Rico subtly pointed to Evan’s right. “There’s Raven Fairbanks and Tyler Brooks.”

Evan’s steps slowed, and his eyes widened at the sight of one of the most prominent Hollywood couples of the decade. “Holy shit,’ he muttered. “Do you know them?”

“Nah. In fact, aside from Rex, Magnus, Scout, Alex, and a few others, I’ve never met most of these people.”

Evan was surprised by that since Rico looked like he fit right in with the Hollywood crowd. Dressed in a fitted tuxedo with a dark-blue jacket with black lapels over black pants, he could’ve walked off a movie set or right out of a commercial for Armani or Christian Dior. The longer strands of hair that usually hung down the center of the back of his head were pulled up into a small ponytail. He hadn’t bothered shaving his five o’clock shadow, and it was sexy as hell.

“What would you like to drink, babe?”

A warm feeling spread throughout Evan’s body at the endearment falling from Rico’s kissable lips. Damn, if he had any questions about whether he was gay or not, they would’ve fled his mind as Evan imagined Rico’s mouth around his cock. Evan didn’t care what movie stars were in the room. The man he wanted more than anything in the world stood right in front of him. He mentally shook his head, realizing that Rico and the bartender were waiting for his answer.

“Um, a gin and tonic with a twist of lime would be great,” he told the pretty woman behind the bar.

“Certainly. And for you, sir?” she asked Rico.

“Make it two.”

A few minutes later, with drinks in hand, they walked around the room, skirting partitions that created more walls to hold the displayed artworks. Rico stopped next to a man standing in front of a huge painting and talking to two women. The man was about two inches taller than Rico, and his shoulders werebroader. His chestnut brown hair was cut short, as were his mustache and goatee. When the man’s gaze shifted, he saw Rico, and a grin spread across his face before his attention returned to his companions. “Ladies, it’s been a pleasure talking to you. If you’ll excuse me, I must greet my other guests.”

The women looked disappointed but still nodded, said goodbye, and walked away. The man turned, and instead of shaking Rico’s hand, he pulled him into a bear hug and slapped him on the back. “Dude, I thought you were going to blow me off.”

Rico scoffed as he stepped back. “When have I ever blown you off?”

The man tapped a finger over his closed lips and looked deep in thought for a moment before he laughed loudly. “Um, you’ve never blown me. Let’s keep it that way, shall we? Who’s this?”

Rico set a hand on his date’s shoulder. “This is Evan Calhoun. Evan, this is my friend and the man of the hour, Rex Adams.”

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