Page 10 of Rico

Last night, Evan made his weekly Wednesday appearance at the bar, and at one point, Rico dragged him back to his private office, where he let Evan fuck his ass. When they reappeared a little while later, Austin, who was tending the bar, quietly winked and grinned at them, clearly figuring out what they’d been doing back there. Evan blushed at the teasing the man gave them, which caused Rico to fall a little more for the guy. Nothing about Evan bothered him—he was good-looking, kind, intelligent, and tidy without being a neat freak. He could hold his own in conversations on a variety of subjects and was as voracious about sex as Rico was. Rico could fuck him all day, every day, and still not grow tired of him.

Before he left the bar last night, Evan asked Rico to come with him for dinner at his ex-wife’s house on Sunday. Apparently, Susan told Evan to extend the invitation, and he also wanted to introduce Rico to his kids. While the thought of meeting Evan’s family should’ve scared him, Rico realized he was excited about it. Every day, his feelings for the man grew exponentially.

Right then, though, he looked forward to everything he would do to Evan tonight when he finally got him alone again. The images in his head made his cock twitch in his jeans.

It was just after three p.m., and he sat at the short end of the bar, going through the receipts for the first half of the week and sorting them for the bookkeeping he needed to do later. The lunch crowd had filtered out, and only three occupied tables were left while a handful of people sat at the bar. His daytime bartender, Ashley Beckham, and waiter, David Ripps, had everything covered. They had another hour and a half before their reliefs came on duty, just in time for the happy hour crowd.

Sitting on the bar beside his paperwork, his cell phone dinged with an incoming text message. Rico swiped the screen to read it.

Evan

Sorry, but I have to cancel tonight. Another sound tech called in sick so they asked me to cover his shift. I’ll be here until 10 and have to be back by 6.

He told Rico he didn’t get overtime often but picked it up whenever possible because the extra pay was good. Rico understood. Many of his jobs over the years were for hourly wages. When that time-and-a-half rolled around, it was like getting a bonus, so you grabbed it when you could.

Picking up the phone, he quickly typed in a reply.

No worries. Tomorrow then? You can come to the bar and when things die down, we can head out.

They’d only planned to have dinner at Evan’s. Rico looked forward to seeing where the man lived. They’d blessed every room in Rico’s condo, and he wanted to do the same at Evan’s apartment. Evan said it was a small two-bedroom unit in a quiet neighborhood. When he mentioned it was nowhere near as nice as Rico’s place, Rico explained how he could “afford” the expensive condo. Scout held the mortgage, which was far less than anyone else’s in the Paradox. Rico also paid the utilities for the unit, but he had free parking in the garage. When he spilled his guts about all that, he was surprised to see some relief in Evan’s eyes. It was as if he preferred Rico not to be as rich as his mailing address might indicate.

Evan

Sure. I miss you though. I’ll call you later when I get a break.

A warm feeling filled Rico. Now he understood why Scout had gotten that goofy look on his face when he’d been falling for Alex.

Miss you too. TTYL

As he set the phone on the bar, he heard the front door open and glanced over his shoulder to see who was coming in. A teenage boy wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers entered and glanced around. When his eyes fell on Rico, there was a flash of recognition ... and anger?

Rico eyed the kid as he closed the distance between them. He was tall and lanky, with light-brown hair that needed a trim and dark eyes. His mouth was taut, and his jaw tight. Rico noticed his clenched fists as he stopped next to him. “You Rico Demara?”

Yup, definitely anger there. Rico just didn’t know why. He never saw the kid before and had no idea who he was.

“Yeah, can I help you?”

“You can stay away from my father. That’s what you can do.”

Since the bar was quiet, sans a few low conversations and the music filtering through the sound system, the kid’s voice traveled, and several people turned to see what the problem was. As he studied the teen’s face, Rico realized who he reminded him of—this had to be one of Evan’s boys, Mark or Brian. Rico couldn’t remember which was older, but the one in front of him appeared to be around seventeen.

“I see. And you are?”

“Brian Calhoun.” Disgust filled his face. “What? You’re dating more than one guy who has kids?”

Rico spun the stool a little until he faced Brian. “No, I just wasn’t sure if you were you or your brother, Mark. Does Evan know you’re here?”

The kid’s shoulders stiffened at the mention of his father’s name. “Doesn’t matter,” he spat. “Just leave him alone. He deserves a lot better than you.”

When Brian turned to leave, Rico grabbed his arm, not letting the teen yank free. “Calm down. What the hell is this about?”

“Seriously?” The venom in his voice couldn’t be mistaken for anything but, and his eyes filled with fury. Fear crept into Rico’s gut. Suddenly, he knew what Brian was about to say, and there was nothing he could do to stop him. “It’s about you being a fucking rapist, asshole! Now let go of me!”

Great. Just what he needed—for the damn kid to announce Rico’s past in his place of business. At least the few regulars sitting at the bar knew Rico well enough that they would have difficulty believing what they just heard. But that didn’t stop everyone in the place from staring at them in shock.

He let go of the struggling teen. “I’m not?—”

“Bullshit! Stay away from my father!”

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