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As we pulled out of the parking garage, I called Vee and asked him to take care of my cat overnight. “I’d be happy to look after the lovely Leota,” he said, “but when you get back, I’m going to need details about your second night in a row with Lorenzo.”
“It’s not like that. I might have to attend a meeting in the morning, so we decided to stay in town.”
“You can’t let such a hot man go to waste,” he insisted. “In fact, failing to jump his bones tonight would be un-American.” That made me laugh.
We chatted for a few more minutes, and when I hung up Lorenzo said, “You didn’t mention the movie.”
“I refuse to tell anyone until I have a signed contract in my hands, not even my parents.” I was dying to call them and let them know what was happening, but I just couldn’t get their hopes up. I’d done that to them way too many times over the last decade, only to watch it all fall apart.
Chapter 4
After a quick stop at a grocery store, we drove to West Hollywood. Our destination turned out to be a four-story apartment building that could pass for a nice hotel. Lorenzo had a set of keys to one of the apartments on his keyring, and when I asked about it, he said, “I lived here for several years before I went to Mexico City, and then I moved back in when I returned to the U.S. I didn’t last very long the second time I lived here, but Sam insisted I keep the keys. He hopes I’ll move back in eventually, even though I’ve told him that’s not going to happen.”
“Didn’t he rent out your room when you left?”
“No. His parents own the building, so he doesn’t actually need a roommate. He just likes my company.”
As I followed him inside, I said, “This is a gorgeous apartment. Why didn’t you want to stay here when you came back to California?” It was spacious and sunny, with a jewel-toned color scheme, bold artwork, and high ceilings.
“My former roommate is a great guy, but he loves to party. He and this place hadn’t changed at all during the four years I was in Mexico, but I was a completely different person when I returned. It felt like stepping back in time, and I couldn’t shake the feeling I didn’t belong here anymore.”
Those years in Mexico City were when Lorenzo fell in love, then lost his partner to cancer. No wonder he’d had a hard time with his party boy roommate when he returned to California. That would have been the last thing he needed while he was in mourning.
We reached the royal blue and white kitchen and unpacked our grocery bags, which contained ingredients for dinner, snacks, alcohol, and a few essentials for spending the night, like toothbrushes and shampoo. I’d almost tossed a pack of condoms in the shopping basket, but that had seemed presumptuous.
While I made us a pitcher of martinis, Lorenzo stuck a bottle of champagne in the fridge. He’d bought it to toast the movie role he was sure I was going to get. Then he called his cousin and got permission to keep the car overnight. When he got off the phone, I handed him a martini and said, “It’s pretty early for happy hour, but I think we need to break the rules today.”
“I totally agree.” He tapped his glass to mine before taking a sip and muttering, “Wow, that’s strong.”
I grinned and said, “Yeah, I wasn’t messing around.”
We took our drinks into the living room, but I was way too wound up to sit still and muttered, “I wish I could work out, so I could burn off some of this excess energy.”
“You could dance it off instead.”
“I’m not in the mood for a club.”
Lorenzo got up and said, “I’m talking about something much nerdier than that.” He led me to an adjoining room with a huge TV and a white leather sectional sofa as he explained, “Sam has a huge collection of video games, including some dancing games that are actually pretty fun.”
“Okay. Will you teach me how to play?”
“It’s easy. Just try to match your moves to the character on the screen,” he said, as he cued up a game on the TV.
“Sounds easy enough.” I took off my jacket and he removed his flannel overshirt while a countdown flashed. We began gyrating wildly when the first video started, and then we both burst out laughing.
After flailing our way through two songs, we turned to face each other and just danced to the music. “This is much better,” I said, as I ran my gaze down his body.
“Agreed.”
He moved closer, and his hands circled my waist as he kissed me. Lust flared in both of us at the same time, and when he pulled off his T-shirt and tossed it aside, I tackled him. He laughed again as we tumbled onto the couch.
