Page 167 of Deliverance

“I feel very underdressed right now.” Zander laughs when a familiar face emerges from the center of the group gathered on the opposite side of the room and heads in our direction.

Ah, the culprit of the celebration.

The new addition to the Ada Kelley World Tour.

The one and only Santiago Ortega, dressed in something sexy and outrageous that looks a lot like a young Rob Halford would wear on stage. Black leather pants. A studded belt that hangs low and slanted over to one side around his hips. A tight, short-sleeved top with the zipper open past the middle of his chest, which only accentuates the beauty of Santiago’s lean, perfect dancer body. The emblazoned peaked hat and whip are a nice touch too.

“Wow!” I extend my arms to give my friend an embrace but instead hesitate and give his outfit another onceover. “You look fantastic. I would hug you but I’m afraid your spikes and studs will rip my dress apart.”

A grin splits Santiago’s face in half. Twirling, he shouts over the music, “I’m really trying to get in touch with my gay side tonight!”

“And you’re apparently into metal now,” I add, laughing.

“I’ve been…exploring.” He snaps his attention to Zander. “Thanks for coming. You two look lovely, by the way.”

“Nice outfit, man. I mean it. I’m impressed. I used to practice to Judas Priest a lot when I was a kid. My dad was a huge fan back in the day.”

“I’m glad you approve, boyfriend.” Santiago gestures at the booths across the floor. “Let me introduce you to some people.”

We trail after him and I wave at the faces I know in the crowd, my mind suddenly racing at the realization that I didn’t get to spend much time with Santiago these past couple of weeks.

Things after the holidays got hectic for both of us. He was preparing for the party and his move to New York, and I was consumed by Zander and my own legal and career worries.

Days flew by so fast, we didn’t even have a chance to set up a dinner to talk about all these unexpected changes in our lives.

And it makes me feel like a shitty friend.

“Are you kidding me? You invited Tina?” My mouth falls open when I spot my art dealer’s face lingering behind the wall of moving bodies.

The four of us—Bebe, Santiago, Lion, and I—have been hanging out at Layla's booth for the past thirty minutes. Although I’m not convinced we’re not distracting her workflow as she continues to put out one killer mix after another.

“Why not? We follow each other on Instagram,” Santiago explains with an innocent expression, which totally contradicts his kinky looking outfit. I’ve yet to see him use the whip tonight, but judging from the amount of alcohol he’s already consumed, he’s almost there.

“Oh my God!” I toss my hands up, my head pleasantly buzzing from two margaritas. “I knew it!”

Bebe leans forward over the metal railing separating the DJ booth from the main floor as if it’s going to help her see better. She’s wearing a Jessica Rabbit costume—a red dress and a red wig—and her boyfriend is sporting a pair of fluffy Roger Rabbit ears.

The two are stinking cute and I almost regret not going for something flashier, but then my gaze lands on Zander weaving across the room to meet Tina’s date, and I forget about competing with others for the best costume.

I like him the way he is.

Subtle.

Sexy.

And mine.

“This isn’t who I think it is,” Santiago shouts to my left, sipping on his Tom Collins.

“Yep.” I nod. “It’s exactly who you think it is.”

“Justice’s manager,” we say together and I giggle at that, then add, “Jinx.”

“You mean the Kink King’s Daddy?” Bebe’s head snaps at us, her red locks sparkling.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s wise to refer to him as such,” Santiago ponders, his voice straining over the Def Leppard remix.

“You are all so nasty.” I laugh and duck down, slipping past the railing to get to Tina, who’s encased into a short army green dress. A pair of aviator sunglasses are perched up on her forehead.

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