Page 20 of Boss Level

dominic

Idecided to walk the half mile or so from the office to the convention center, to meet Xander and Judith after work. I had a perfectly good parking spot in our lot, and it was unlikely I’d find anything closer.

There was a chill in the air with the sun down, but that helped brush away the stress of the day. I loved my work, but most days I ached for the people who came to us who had been taken advantage of.

Reese, for instance. Who we were watching sing tonight, because when she came to me a year ago with a shitty deal and a shittier band manager, I’d broken her free.

Knowing that one less person was bound to a bad deal was nice, but free Plaid Peanut Butter tickets for life was even better. Besides, we were negotiating a sweet rights deal for her that would catapult the band.

Traffic slogged along downtown streets, backing up two or three lights, and crossing the road was a bit like playing Frogger.

I had nothing but respect for Roger, but the last few years, my sympathy for hisdiscretionrequest became more like frustration mixed with pity that he couldn’t live his life as himself, and that kept me from doing the same.

But I owed Roger a lot. He’d made sure every step of the way that I had the help and resources I needed, and I had never regretted following this career path. I owed that to him, and if he wasn’t comfortable doing something like coming out, the least I could do was respect that.

When I stepped inside the convention center, it was like moving into a different world. Bright warmth and a cheerful mood washed away the dreary cold of outside.

It wasn’t as crowded in here as earlier, which I knew from the handful of pictures Xander sent me of the crowds. He’d spent most of his day here.

Speaking of, I sent him a text, letting him know I was here. He replied with a note telling me where to find them, followed bybe prepared to perform.

Weird thing to say.

I walked past the line outside the main hall that was waiting to get into opening ceremonies, and found Judith and Xander a short distance further into the building, waiting away from the crowds.

She was wearing a flannel shirt open over a Nirvana T-shirt and jeans. The way the T-shirt was tied off at the waist, and how faded and baggy it was, said it had probably been Xander’s once upon a time. Her hair was in a ponytail that was perfect for pulling, and she looked like a different person.

As sexy as ever, though.

Xander was in the same Henley he’d left the house in this morning, and he looked as good as he had twelve hours ago.

I was the guy out of place in a suit and tie. Fine with me. I was drawing stares and murmurs about beinga normal, and I knew I looked great.

When I reached Xander and Judith, she pulled me into a tight hug. “I missed you, my Dom.”

Ah. This kind of performance. I shifted the hug to tilt her head up and brush my lips over hers. The kiss was sweet. Chaste. But the longer I drew it out, the more intense the sparks were that flowed between us.

There was an odd kind of ambivalence doing this in front of Xander. The fact that it wasn’t real made it feel wrong, but knowing people were enjoying the show, that he was at least partly enjoying the show, made the kiss hotter.

“Who’s this for?” I murmured against her mouth as we broke apart.

She rested her head against my shoulder. “Claire is here,” she whispered.

Well, fuck.

At least Judith’s people didn’t care who she kissed.

I looked between them. “I feel like you could’ve mentioned that before I got here.”

“Busy day.” Xander shrugged.

Judith worked a finger into the knot of my tie, loosening it. “Claire says she’s not going to the concert,because smutty smut.” She undid the top button of my shirt and brushed her nails over my skin in a light tease. “So the main hall is safe.”

Safe enough to push her against a wall and give her a real kiss? Or let Xander do the same to me?

Judith let us in through a side door—no line for us—and we found three seats in the front section reserved for the AcesPlayed crew. She left us so she could go play her part in the opening ceremonies.

The noise level in the room was too high for any real conversation with Xander, but his fingers tangled with mine conveyed what they needed to.

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