A Betting Man (8 page)

“I’m taking your tools back to Sears!”

We left the following morning, but not before my mom made me promise to come back soon. With Terry. I’d spent so much time trying to forget I had a family; I’d forgotten what it was like to be part of one. Terry seemed sad to leave. My mom fussed over him, hugging him repeatedly. My dad about crushed him in a hug. I was back at work and hating every damn second of it.

I missed being with Terry.

With my new ad campaign, I was barely getting enough time to call him. He took it in stride, letting me know he’d be there when I had the time. Things seemed different for me when I got back, too. Now, when I looked at Porsche I wondered how on Earth I’d ever thought she was worth having sex with. She was a materialistic, whiny bitch. I guess I had known that before, I just hadn’t cared. I cared now.

The tickets for the advertising awards sat on my desk. I was up for an award as were Blaine and a few other people I knew from other firms. I was going to ask Terry to go with me. I had made plans with Terry for New Year’s. We were going to hang out in my apartment and watch the fireworks go off. He’d been to Times Square for New Year’s and assured me he’d rather it be just the two of us. I wanted that, too. I also wanted Terry to make love to me. The thought was a bit scary; I’d never even put a finger up my ass. I was going to have to buy a dildo, or one of those butt plug thingies. Was there a difference?

My phone beeped at me and I smiled at the text.

See you tonight!

Can’t wait! <3.

My stomach flipped over and I felt a flush hit my cheeks. There was a soft knock on my door and Anna walked in with a brown paper bag. The smell of onions wafted through my office.

“What’s all this?” I smiled.

“Terry sent it over.” Anna set the bag down on my desk.

I opened it and the smell of Gray’s assaulted my nostrils. It was heaven.

Anna snatched the bag from me with a grin. “One of those is mine.”

“Excuse me?” I lifted a brow.

“I’m here to help you finish work,” she said, getting comfortable. “I want you to spend New Year’s with Terry.”

I clasped my hands together and regarded her with a grin. “You like him, don’t you?”

“I think he’s perfect for you.”

“Oh, how so?”

Anna looked at me seriously for a few seconds.

“He humanizes you. No offense, boss but when I first started working with you,” she blushed and looked away.

“Go ahead, feel free,” I urged.

“I thought you were the biggest jackass on the planet. Well, next to Mr. McKlintock.” She laughed at my look of shock. “Terry? He makes you smile; I’ve never seen you laugh so much, either. The way he looks at you, it’s like you put the sun up in the morning and swap it for the moon at night. He’s in love with you, boss.”

I jerked back and my chair tipped, spilling me to the floor. Anna was around the desk looking down at me with a smile.

“Welcome to love, boss.”

* * * *

I paced my living room on New Year’s Eve. Terry was coming any second. I kept replaying the conversation with Anna in my mind. Did Terry love me? And if Anna could see it, could everyone else, too? This was getting complicated. Either way, I’d won the bet. My doorbell scared the shit out of me and I actually jumped. I crossed the room and opened the door. Terry stood in his worn jeans and flannel jacket. I pulled him inside and hugged him hard.

“Hey,” he said, looking at me in confusion. “Everything okay?”

“It’s perfect.”

We sat on a lounge chair out on my balcony, wrapped in a down comforter. I poured us both a glass of champagne and we sipped it, waiting for the ball to drop.

“Kent?”

“Yes?”

“Are you happy? I mean with your life?”

I kissed the top of his head and sipped my champagne.

“Most of the time, I guess. I have everything I ever wanted. A nice place to live, nice clothes, a good job. Now I have you.” Terry seemed to stiffen a bit in my arms. I leaned down to kiss the shell of his ear. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” He leaned his head back and our lips met.

The tingle of champagne on his lips tickled mine and I took his glass from him. Cupping his chin in my hand, I lifted his mouth to mine for a proper kiss. Our lips came together and our tongues met. I moaned softly into Terry’s mouth and his hand snuck around to my crotch and rubbed my erection. I slid my hand around his cock and stroked him slowly. My hips moved with Terry’s rhythm and before I knew it, Terry was reaching for his pants on the chair next to us, digging into the pocket.

My dick was freed from my shorts and a condom was rolled on. Terry maneuvered on the chair, lubing his asshole up. I watched his digits slide in and out and licked my lips. Settling back between my legs, Terry leaned his back against my chest and slid down on my cock slowly. The first firework went off, covering my loud gasp as Terry’s tight hole massaged my prick. Terry’s arms wrapped around the back of my neck as I held his hips, thrusting into him. The kiss was becoming almost feral and Terry was whimpering into my mouth. I gripped his hips hard and slammed into him from below. His loud cry timed perfectly with a burst of red, white and blue in the night sky. I came with a shout of my own, collapsing back into the lounge chair. We were both gasping for air and sweating even in the cool night. I held him close to me, breathing in his moist skin. I kissed his shoulder, trailing my lips across his skin.

“Kent?” Terry whispered.

“Yes?” I hugged him closer to me, nuzzling his hair.

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year, Terry.”

I spent the next week in a fog. I went to work, came home, saw Kent and tried like hell to figure out what that niggling feeling was in my gut. I checked my mail on my way in and threw my jacket on the chair in the corner. I went to the kitchen and stopped. The ticket for the advertising awards ceremony stared back at me from the fridge. Kent had sent me a package the day before and I hadn’t opened it yet. The award thingie was tonight. My palms began to sweat and I looked at the time. Nine in the morning. I’d asked Spencer for today off so that I could pace my apartment all day.

I walked back to my living room and looked at the package. I opened it carefully and looked inside. A tux. Not only a tux, but shoes as well. I sighed and picked up the letter inside.

I didn’t know if you had one of these, so I got one for you. There’s a card in here for Maurice’s salon, too. He’s expecting you at noon. I’ll have a limo come for you at seven sharp!

Kent.

I sat down on the chair in my living room with the card in my hand. On New Year’s Eve, I had asked Kent if he was happy, and instead of telling me how happy I made him he had said that most of the time he was. And I had come last on his list of things that made him happy, too. Almost as if I was an afterthought. I sighed and looked at the tux in the box. It was a very expensive one. Spencer’s words reverberated in my head: Kent wanted to make me into someone he could show off. I walked to my mirror and looked at myself. My hair was past the nape of my neck, and my bangs were longer now, the purple streak an inch from my roots.

I removed my earring slowly. I wanted Kent to be proud of how I looked. Did that make me a bad person? I didn’t think so. I wanted him to love me the way I loved him. It was just hair, right? I flopped down on the floor and looked at my cell phone. I needed…I don’t know what I needed.

* * * *

Oh my God. Maurice was even gayer than I was. He talked at lightning fast speed with his hands. More than once, I thought for sure he’d take my eye out with the scissors. He looked horrified at my hair, although he said it was very healthy. Whatever. I got my eyebrows waxed, then plucked (as if the waxing wasn’t bad enough). I had the whole mani-pedi, too. Maurice went on and on about how sexy my boyfriend was. And wasn’t I
so
lucky to be pampered?
Oh, so lucky.

I watched my hair fall on the floor. God, it was so sad. I felt like part of me was gone. I was doing exactly what Spencer had warned me about: becoming someone else. But wasn’t it worth it? Wasn’t
Kent
worth it? I loved him. I wanted him to love me, too. After four hours, Maurice turned the chair around and I got my first look at the new me. Well, the old me. The new me was Terry Barron. Now I was Terrance Barron again. I sighed at my reflection.

“You look
fabulous
, darling!” Maurice cooed behind me.

“Thanks, Maurice.”

I think.

The limo picked me up right at seven. I smiled at the driver, who looked shocked that I even acknowledged his presence. This was so not me. Every second I sat in the limo in clothes that weren’t mine with hair that I hated made me cringe. It was worth it, though. Kent was worth it.

I watched the city fly by and hoped I could deal with the shoes that were slowly suffocating my feet. The Waldorf was covered in lights. You’d think it was a movie premiere instead of an awards ceremony for advertising gurus. The driver stopped in front and I cringed at the camera flashes going off like a lightning storm. I was in deep shit. If one photographer recognized me, I was in for it with my parents. They’d know exactly where I was. Well, I’m sure they knew already—I hadn’t changed my last name like Kent had. I’d just shortened my first name and completely made myself into someone different.

I liked him, too.

The door opened and a barrage of camera flashes went off in my face. I hurriedly walked by all the photographers trying to keep my face down. I ran into the hotel and right into someone solid. I looked up and had no idea who the guy was, but he smiled at me.

“Hello, I’m Matthew Hawke,” he said.

His voice was deep, kind of comforting, too.

I smiled and put my hand out.

“Terry Barron, nice to meet you.” He seemed to hold my hand a lot longer than was usual and then tilted his head.

“Samson’s boyfriend?”

I blushed and nodded.

“Well, pleasure to meet you, son. Kent is right over there.” He pointed to a tableful of people and my eyes met Kent’s. His widened when he noticed me.

His surfer dude partner, now known as Blaine, followed Kent’s gaze and noticed me as well. I put my hands in my pockets as Kent excused himself from the table and made his way over to me. Blaine, I noticed, got up as well but went to the bar that was near from us. Kent reached me and took my hands.

“Oh wow, you look…wow,” he stammered.

“So I pass?” I smiled and did a slow circle.

“Of course you do. Oh my God, Terry, you’re stunning!” Kent looked at my hair. He reached out and touched it. “You cut your hair.”

“Well, sure I did. I couldn’t show up here with a purple streak.”

“But, you loved that streak.” Kent looked at me and caressed my face. “You cut it, and you took the earring out.”

Kent seemed in awe that I had done everything he’d basically asked me to do. I took his hand and held it.

“I would do anything for you, Kent. I love you.” There was a loud cough from the bar and I looked over to see Blaine wiping his mouth with a napkin. Kent opened his mouth and a voice came over the loudspeakers telling everyone to take their seats. Kent squeezed my hand.

“We’ll talk later, okay?”

I nodded.

We walked to the table holding hands and I smiled at Anna and her fiancé. I sat down next to her and took her hand, kissing the top of it.

“You look beautiful,” I whispered to her. She wore a chiffon dress, her hair was up in a French twist and her eyes sparkled.

“So do you,” she leaned into my ear. “I hardly recognized you,” she giggled.

I knew what Kent did for a living. Or I
thought
I did. Once the ceremony started, I got to see the ads that Kent had created. The man was brilliant. I even recognized some of them. I noticed Porsche Montclair eyeing me. I knew she’d dated—well, fucked—Kent before he and I had gotten together. I tipped my head at her and smiled. She turned her nose up at me. Bitch. Anna nudged me and I looked over at her.

“Don’t let her get to you; she’s just mad Kent fell for you instead of her.”

I opened my mouth and was cut off.

“And the winner is… Kent Samson of Hawke Advertising!”

The room exploded in applause and Kent stood up. I stood up with him, clapping enthusiastically. I couldn’t believe how happy I was. It was like I had won. Kent turned to me and took my face in his hands, kissing me right there in front of hundreds of people.

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered into my ear.

I sat back down and listened to his acceptance speech. I felt eyes on me and turned to see Blaine staring at me. I tried to smile but something in his eyes bothered me. He raised his glass and winked at me. I turned away quickly and looked for Kent. He was still smiling. All of a sudden, my hair, the tux, shoes and earring didn’t matter.

I was in love and I never wanted it to end.

I was high on life! I couldn’t believe I’d won. Not to mention I had a shitload of new prospects in my pocket. Once you won an award, people were dying to hire you. Blaine had won for one of the
Fiat
ads he’d done and we toasted to success. Terry was out on the dance floor with Anna. The band had decided to go with a waltz. I couldn’t dance. Well I could, I just looked like I was being electrocuted. Terry, on the other hand, moved like Fred Astaire. Blaine went to get us another glass of champagne and I leaned against the bar watching my boyfriend.

Every woman was watching my man. I had always thought he was adorable, but Lord, when he was all cleaned up—stunning. I’d been told more than once that I had the most gorgeous man in the room. The way Terry moved through the crowd had been mind-boggling. He knew just what to say and how to act. I was mesmerized by him.

All of a sudden, I couldn’t have cared less about the bet. I just wanted Terry. I’d fallen in love with him.
Shit. I needed to come clean with him about the bet. Tonight. Maybe he’d still be so happy for me that he would overlook what asses Blaine and I were and just focus on the part where I want to spend the rest of my life with him.