Page 57 of Blue Gold

My face flamed at his words, and I swallowed hard before uttering a weak “yes.” Elliot seemed pleased as he got even closer.

“Maybe tonight you can visit me?” He moved his hands to my chest. “Who knows, I might wear your necklace then.”

The thought of having him naked, wearing nothing but that sapphire jewel, made my blood run hot and my dick stiffen in my slacks. Feeling like an eager teen on the verge of losing his virginity, I took a deep breath to calm down. I knew it was risky. Too risky considering everything, but his offer was so tempting I couldn’t resist.

“Are you sure?” I asked when he nodded.

“Of course. But are you?”

Something switched in his tone. If he’d been playful and seductive thus far, now the look in his eyes held… love. He loves me, too. This guy… one moment, he delivered a whole monologue about sex being the celebration of two bodies, and the next, he turned so vulnerable I feared he’d break like glass.

I truly am a fool when it comes to him.

Resting my hand on his cheek, I caressed the beauty spot under his eye.

“Yes. I’m sure.”

His brows relaxed, and he smiled.

“Good.”

We stayed quiet for a few moments until I asked, “Why don’t you go back to the party?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll join you shortly. I think I need a minute.” Or two, because my heart was beating like crazy with the fact that I’d just agreed to pay him a visit tonight.

He smiled at me gently. “Okay.”

Yet before he could leave, I grabbed his hand. The warmth of his skin made me eager for time to move faster until I’d have his naked body pressed against mine. With that thought in mind, I finally let go and watched as he left, my heart still beating loudly in my chest. It took me about five more minutes to calm down before I was ready to go back. However, I took my time going downstairs, deliberately walking slowly as I wasn’t eager to return to reality too soon. Unfortunately for me, my bubble burst the second I stepped outside and was called by Father to join a conversation with two of his friends. Although calling those rich, old farts his friends would be a lie, considering all they ever did other than golfing was try to be superior to one another.

On my way to them, I made sure to grab a drink from a passing waiter so I’d have something to keep myself busy with while they talked themselves to death.

“Charles, Edgar,” I greeted the two, my glass raised, before Father slammed his hand on my shoulder.

“We were just talking about Frank Willson.” He pulled me closer as poor me tried to sip from my drink. “You know, Christian Rogers’s old attorney?”

Christian Rogers was a self-made billionaire, which was rather impressive, considering he was two years younger than me. And Frank, well, he used to be his lawyer until he lost his assets due to an ugly, ugly divorce.

“What about him?” I asked.

Not at all interested in the answer, my eyes wandered through the crowd in search of Elliot until I spotted him by the buffet. He stood out like a sore thumb, trying to understand how to eat a fried chicken tender without getting himself all greasy. One bite was all that it took for him to put his plate down as if the American delicacy wasn’t good enough for his French palate. Amused, I smiled, until Father’s story caught my attention.

“As I was saying, the reason he lost all his fortune to his ex-wife wasn’t at all due to a bad settlement.” Father took a sip from his scotch. “But ’cause she walked in on him getting fucked by his male secretary.”

My body froze as if I’d been electrocuted, and I did my best to stay composed while they went on talking.

“Oh dear Lord,” Charles hissed while Edgar’s face twisted in repulsion.

“Could you imagine? Losing everything you had for getting shagged by a fairy, no less. Fucking disgusting.” Father shook his head while drinking from his glass. “That woman did the right thing by taking all of that cocksucker’s money. And from what I heard, the low-life piece of shit has left the city. If you ask me, the homo better leave the state, too.”

At this point, my heart was beating so loudly I could hardly hear them continuing to talk about Frank. And honestly, I couldn’t care less about Frank because all I thought about was me. For starters, why did Father choose to tell me this story?

Wait.

Could it be that he knew?

My heart paused as I nearly choked while trying to recall if, perhaps, he saw me kissing Elliot in the kitchen. My blood ran cold at the same time my palms turned sweaty. Taking a sip from my drink to wet my throat, I quickly dismissed the thought. I was certain that he didn’t see me kiss Elliot, but maybe he suspected something was going on between us, regardless? I was acting weird during our lunch, so maybe he caught on. I glanced at Father and his friends, afraid to spot a glimpse of recognition on their mean faces, before my eyes went back to Elliot, who was staring at me from afar. The second our eyes locked and he smiled my way, a knot of dread twisted in my stomach. What if I was being too obvious, and now Father knew? And not just him, but everyone. Including my wife.