“I’ll hold you to that.”
The twins laughed and vacated the kitchen.
“Fuck. Those two…” Bailey grinned, shaking his head.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll be the death of us all.”
Bailey sighed. “What a way to go.”
“Amen.” Derek raised his beer and downed another swallow.
Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, Bailey asked, “You wanted to talk to me?”
“Yeah.” Derek leaned against the counter and picked at the paper label on his beer bottle. “Does it ever bother you how sexually active Lucas is? I mean, on camera is one thing—that’s our job—but off-camera? Does it ever get to you that he has sex with all of us all the time?”
Bailey smiled. “Sometimes I think it should. But no. I mean, I don’t want him going out on the town and banging everything with a dick, but as long as he restricts himself to the boys of the house, it’s all good.” He shrugged. “Sometimes I let him venture a little further, like when you guys went to New York and visited the Phoenix Club, I gave him permission tohave fun.And at the party last night, he got down and dirty with some guys. But outside of the house, he always asks permission. Otherwise, it would be cheating, and his ass would be grass.”
Derek chuckled. “Good policy.”
“Why do you ask?”
“I guess I was just curious how it feels to have a porn star for a boyfriend.” He smiled. “But then, you’re a porn star, too, even if you don’t do as many scenes as Lucas. And Garrett and Jack are together, and Van and Benji… but they’re all porn stars. How do you think a regular guy would feel about his boyfriend being a porn star? Do you think they could handle it?”
Bailey sighed. “I don’t know. I guess it would depend on the guy. Some could, some couldn’t.” He squinted. “Why… you got your eye on aregularguy?”
“Regular?” Derek smiled and shook his head. “I don’t know if I’d label him that way, and I don’t know if I have my eye on him. Not really. It isn’t looking hopeful—and that’s with him clueless about my career choice.” He exhaled loudly. “Fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to matter here before too long. But I can’t stop thinking about him.” He looked at Bailey. “Shit, why couldn’t I just fall for another porn star?”
Bailey smiled.
“What?”
“I have to be honest,” he said. “There for a while, I thought for sure you and Zachary were going to hook up—likehook upfor real.”
Zachary.He couldn’t deny the thought hadn’t crossed his mind as well. “If I did hook up with one of these guys—if would definitely be him. But I think we’re destined to stay fuck friends. We’re close, but not in love.”
“Shit.” Bailey chuckled. “I’m pretty sure everyone here is just a little bit in love with Zachary. He’s just too damnperfectnot to love.”
Zachary truly was about the most flawless specimen Derek had ever seen up close. “Can’t argue there.”
. . .
It was late afternoon when Patrick and Brian returned home. Brian plucked at his sweaty shirt. “Mind if I take a quick shower and maybe borrow one of your t-shirts?”
“No, go ahead.”
“Thanks.” Brian snagged a shirt from the dresser and walked into the adjoining bathroom and closed the door.
Patrick sat down at his desk and waited for the shower to turn on. When he was sure Brian wouldn’t suddenly make an appearance, he dug into the front pocket of his jeans and tugged out the folded pamphlet. He smoothed it out on the desk as best he could, his pulse racing furiously. During cleanup, he hadn’t been able to really look at it. He’d had to hurriedly cram it into his pocket before Brian saw.
He studied it now. Across the top, in bright gold letters, were the wordsGideon’s Angels.An advertisement for the strip club that had been set up at that spot on the street? His hands trembled as he slowly opened the pamphlet and stared at Derek, his eyes helplessly roaming over his practically nude body, surfing the hills and valleys of his lean sculpted muscles. It took a moment for Patrick to realize that Derek’s “partner” in the photo looked familiar as well; black hair, blue eyes. Gorgeous.
Derek’s friend from Pride.
Derek said he didn’t have a boyfriend.
Had he lied?
A website was listed at the bottom of the pamphlet. Patrick hurriedly typed it into the browser of his laptop. The webpage opened—and his heart skidded to a halt as video clips of men having sex played across the screen.
