Page 72 of Not Your Golden Boy

“How do you figure that?” Harry asked, rubbing the back of Nikky’s neck with one hand and cradling his expensive craft beer in the other. “Nikky is way more impressive than me.”

It didn’t matter how many times Harry said things like that, Nikky always melted under the praise. And Harry was incredibly good at praising him. Particularly when they were in bed or playing a scene. It came as no surprise at all that praise kink did it for Nikky.

“Everybody loves a success story,” Abby reasoned with a shrug. The strap of her slinky dress slipped down, and as she reached to lift it into place, one of the music industry guests did a doubletake and smiled at her as he passed. Abby winked at him, then went on with, “But what they love even more is an amazing comeback story. Excuse me.”

She finished her statement and stood to follow the man, who glanced back invitingly at her.

“You go, girl,” Drew called after her, laughing.

“She’s right, though,” Lee picked up where Abby had left off. “Everyone is used to Nikky smashing everything he does at this point. It’s Harry’s resurgence that’s titillating everyone this time.”

“Never in a million years would I have thought to hear my name in the same sentence as ‘tit’,” Harry said with a smirk, then took a long swig of beer as the others laughed.

It was a perfect night. Gone were all the worries Nikky had carried for so long. He was practically dizzy from lifting that weight off his back. He had Harry to thank for a lot of his newfound mental and emotional freedom, although the lion’s share should probably have gone to his therapist.

But no, Harry deserved credit for everything he did and meant to Nikky. Drew and Lee as well. And Charlotte, who had become as much his friend as his manager, especially when Harry insisted he review his entire support team to make certain they all had his best interests at heart. Having friends made all the difference in the world.

“Hey, did you hear about Holberg?” Drew asked when there was a slight lull in the conversation.

Nikky tensed with his bottle of beer halfway to his lips, then lowered it. “What about Holberg?” he asked, trying not to let the anxiety over the man that he couldn’t shake, even with therapy, all these years later show.

Harry squeezed his neck tighter, and Nikky pressed into the comforting gesture.

“He was arrested,” Drew went on.

Nikky’s eyes went wide at once. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Drew said, drank some of his beer, then went on to say, “He was caught breaking into Marvin Wellman’s house.”

“Whoa,” Harry gaped. “He must have been out of his mind to break into the house of a legend like that.”

“Holberg has been pestering Marvin and a bunch of other mega-A-listers for years,” Drew went on. “Marvin wasn’t going to stand for it. He called in a few favors and had the L.A.P.D. throw the book at him.”

“Rumor has it that he’ll serve at least five years behind bars, maybe more,” Lee picked up the story. “Especially since other celebrities are coming forward with stories of how he’s threatened them.”

“You should talk to the L.A.P.D., too, Nikky,” Drew said, nodding Nikky’s way.

Nikky only had to think about it for a second. “No. I don’t want to dredge all that up again. I mean, if they need me to testify about the trouble he caused us, I will.” He glanced to Harry, smiling and resting a hand on Harry’s thigh. “I’d rather just look forward now instead of backwards.”

“Good idea, princess,” Harry said, then pulled Nikky close for a kiss.

It was an awesome kiss, as usual. Harry had mastered the art of kissing Nikky powerfully and reminding him of the quiet dynamics of their relationship without making it too obvious to the rest of the world how they were together.

At least, it wasn’t too obvious to most of the world.

“Ugh, guys,” Drew said, pretending to be put off, even though his eyes sparkled with mirth. “Get a room already.”

Harry laughed, especially when Lee nudged Drew and rolled his eyes.

Nikky laughed, too, but Drew was right. He preferred to save the intimate part of his and Harry’s relationship for when they were home, whether that was their home in L.A. or Harry’s apartment in London, anyhow.

“I’m going to grab another of these and some nibbles,” he said as he stood, gesturing to his empty beer bottle as he set it on the table between the chairs where they all sat. “Anyone else want anything?”

His friends called out their orders, then Nikky headed over to the bar at the side of the terrace. The party was well-attended, and despite the fact that he and Harry had been sitting more or less in the same spot all night, talking to their closest friends, there were plenty of other people who were eager to draw Nikky aside as he ran his errand, both to congratulate him and to ask about the latest rumors surrounding him and Harry, Drew and Lee, and half a dozen other people he had worked with in both the film and music industry in the last couple years.

Which was why he wasn’t surprised when Ollie Sandbourne approached him as he waited at the bar and opened their conversation with, “Hey, Nikky, can I ask you something?”

Bracing himself, Nikky said, “Sure, Ollie.”