Page 41 of Hunt You Down

“What for?” I brought my glass to my mouth for the last slip of my drink…

“The wedding.”

And inhaled it.

“Mitch!” André scolded, rubbing my back as I choked.

“What? You’ve never had a boyfriend before! This has to be serious,” Mitchell defended, unfortunately setting his sights on me once more. “Where’s your ring? As bougie as André is, it must be huge.”

Amanda blotted my mouth dry with napkins, shooting Mitchell a look that could kill.

“Put a sock in it or I’ll tell him about the Christmas party,” André threatened.

The coughs turned to laughter, and I managed to speak. “I think I need another drink.”

“I’ll go with you,” Amanda offered.

“Please,” André added. “So I can strangle your brother-in-law with as few witnesses as possible.”

“Don’t worry about him,” Amanda told me as we waited on our drinks. “He thinks he’s funny but he’s just an asshole.”

“He’s fine.”

I scanned the room. There must have been at least a couple hundred people cramming the space. I noticed André break away from his business partners and head straight toward a man in the middle of the room, shaking his hand as he sat down. My man oozed charm, his smile lighting up the room.

“How long did it take you to get used to these events?” I asked Amanda.

“Penn and Mitchell started the firm a couple years after we got married, so I’ve watched it grow with them. I guess as the number of clients grew, I never noticed.”

She must have registered the panicked expression on my face because she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder to redirect my attention.

“Don’t be nervous. Your only job here is to let him do all the talking. You just sit back, look pretty, and enjoy the free drinks. If I can say so, André’s done a damn fine job at making you look pretty.”

So much for not being a kept boy. Oddly enough, though, I didn’t hate it.

Our drinks were finally placed on the rail, and I had to try both because the bartender couldn’t remember which one had alcohol in it.

“While you’re enjoying the free drinks,” Amanda said, taking hers, “have one for me because the little dictator in my belly won’t let me.”

She gave me a kind smile and returned to her husband, and almost of their own accord, my feet carried me back to André. André was lounged back in the chair, with one ankle crossed over his knee. His elbow was resting on the table, hand flying along with his words. He looked so comfortable.

I tried to be as respectful as possible, slowly approaching André and setting my hand on his shoulder to alert him to my presence. The guy in front of him noticed me first, and I gave him the best smile I could. André turned his head, smiling as he finished his sentence.

“Is this your partner?” the guys asked with a charming smile. He couldn’t have been much older than André. His golden hair was frozen into a flawless hairstyle, like a Ken doll.

André’s blinding grin widened in a way that made me feel like my stomach was in a vice. “My boyfriend, David.” They both stood up. “This is Dr. Travis Sadler. Last year I sold him the building for his now world-famous urology clinic, and his sister’s been trailing after me ever since.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I choked out as he shook my hand.

“Likewise. Though I have to say, my sister’s going to be heartbroken. I don’t think she believed me when I said this man was gay.”

André moved to another chair and offered me his. “She’ll still fawn over me like a lost puppy.”

Travis brought his own drink to his mouth. “Yeah, that girl doesn’t give up easily.”

I nursed my second drink, trying to keep up with the conversation. Mostly, I focused on André’s thigh pressed against my own. The heat from his skin poured through thin layers of clothing.

André kept close, but still remained professional. His arm draped over the back of my hair and his other hand would periodically drop to my thigh for a reassuring touch.