Page 47 of After Midnight

A small grin crossed Dillon’s face and he said, “Papa K is a real estate broker, and Dad is a drag queen.”

I looked at the massive football player-sized man to my right and didn’t school my stunned expression fast enough. Dillon burst out laughing.

I must’ve blushed because the huge man threw back his head and laughed as well.

“Trust me, son, you aren’t the first to be shocked by that revelation.”

“Where do you perform?” I quickly asked, hoping to mask my embarrassment.

“I’m a regular at the Imperial Lady. I’ve been doing my act for twenty years. Have you ever been to one of our shows?”

I nodded and took a second to study the man while searching my memory, then my jaw dropped. “You’re Alexis Fantasma?” I asked, nearly shouting the words.

“The one and only,” he said, clearly delighted by the recognition.

Alexis Fantasma was a Denver icon, widely known for her outlandish outfits and over-the-top makeup. She was also the go-to drag queen for charity events in the LGBTQ community. Recently, she’d been featured on the local news for her involvement in everything from announcing major events to reading storybooks to children in a local library. I’d been particularly impressed with one clip from the library reading when she’d used her booming man voice to quell a bunch of idiot protesters who’d burst into the place. That’d been big news when it’d happened.

I had to bite my tongue to stop from going all fangirl on Dillon’s dad. “I saw you last year at the Halloween Gala held by the library system. I almost peed myself laughing when, amid the sea of straitlaced snobs in suits and gowns, you came out dressed as Elvira. I loved your performance, and I fully admit I may secretly have a crush on Elvira.” Well, maybe a bit of fangirling was okay.

Allen laughed, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dillon frown. Was that jealousy? If we hadn’t been at brunch at his parents’ house, with both of them watching, I’d have teased him. I might still do that later.

Instead, I glanced at Dillon and winked. Unfortunately, Kalen had noticed my wink and was clearly amused by it. So, that was embarrassing.

When we’d all finished our mimosas, I thanked the men for brunch. Despite my original misgivings, I’d really enjoyed it. After they’d again declined my offer to help clean up, I was about to leave when Kalen asked if I would consider attending their upcoming Valentine’s Day Gala.

I smiled and shook my head. “I must decline this year,” I told him. “I’ve got a lot going on at home, and a party might be more than I can handle at the moment.” The last thing I wanted was to show myself up in front of Denver’s elite, not to mention Dillon’s family.

Kalen nodded, but a look of sincere disappointment crossed his face. I felt a pang of regret at my hasty decision. “I tell you what,” I added quickly, not wanting to disappoint the sweet man. “If you don’t need confirmation right now, I’ll think about it over the weekend and will let Dillon know my answer by Monday.”

“That’ll be fine,” he said with a smile. Then, before I could get out the door, both of Dillon’s fathers embraced me and told me how much they enjoyed getting to know me. The feeling was entirely mutual, and I allowed myself to feel good about myself, if only for a moment.

Dillon walked me out of the house and leaned against my car. “They like you,” he said.

“And what’s not to like?” I asked teasingly.

That earned me the smile I’d been hoping for. “Exactly,” he said and leaned over to give me a chaste kiss. “I appreciate you coming.”

I was quickly realizing the “just friends” thing wouldn’t work between us. I desperately wanted another kiss, one that was anything but sweet, but I restrained myself and climbed into my driver’s seat instead.

“You’re working at the club tonight, right?” Dillon asked.

“Yep, are you performing?” I asked, excited I might get to see his new act.

He nodded. “Got to stay sharp, and you only do so by performing,” he said with a grin.

“Then I’ll see you tonight. I expect it’ll be swamped.”

“I prefer a packed house.” He winked at me before closing my car door.

I drove off and glanced in my rearview mirror at the handsome man backdropped by the palace he called home. I drew in a breath and sighed.I’m way out of my element, I thought as Dillon disappeared from sight.

Chapter twenty

Dillon

When Jolie asked me to perform at the club while I was back in Denver, I jumped at the opportunity. With my absence in Chicago putting our duo act on pause, Feldman flew home to visit his family as well. Since I knew he was in town, I texted him to see if he’d like to join me onstage. .

Me: Hey, you interested in hitting the club stage with me tonight? We can test the new material on the hometown crowd.

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