Bonds of Denial (28 page)

A steady flow and variety of people milled about the gallery, some wandering through, others staying to sip a glass of wine or champagne. The dress code ranged from jeans and T-shirts to suits and dresses. The weekend was designed to be open to all as a means to spread the love of art and promote local artists. It wasn’t restricted to the wealthy or elite, and the variety in the crowd showed that.

Rock stood in the corner by the front window, his attention shifting back and forth from the front door to the people standing before Carter’s pieces. He couldn’t hear specifics over the low din, but people’s expressions as they viewed Carter’s photographs seemed positive.

His smile spread naturally when he spotted Rachel coming up the sidewalk. A bit of the tightness clenching his insides loosened. He made his way to the door and scooped her into a hug the second she stepped into the gallery.

“You made it,” he said into her spiky hair, her floral perfume surrounding him in comfort. “Thank you.”

She squeezed him back, her small handbag knocking against his back. “Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss it.” She stepped away and looked around. “Is he here?”

“No.” Rock guided her to the side. “But he should be soon.” Tyler had texted they were on their way over twenty minutes ago, but rush hour traffic was a bitch on Fridays. He glanced at the clock again and blew out a breath. There was still time.

“How are you doing?” Rachel eyed him, looking beyond his clothes. “Are you sure about this?”

He shrugged “There’s no going back now.” Then nodded. “It’s good.”

“I hope so.”

“Me, too.” He rubbed a hand over his nape to get rid of some of the dampness. “You look nice.”

She did a small preen, spreading one hand and lifting the other to pat her hair à la Marilyn Monroe. “I do, don’t I?” The pink floral pattern on the thigh-length black slip dress should’ve been overmuch with her hair, but somehow came across as sexy and hip.

“You always do.”

She swatted him lightly with her purse. “You’re biased, but I’ll take it.” Her smile was infectious, and he resisted the urge to hug her again. “So which pictures are his?”

She scanned the various works mounted on the walls and stands around the room that ranged from photos to paintings to sculptures. There was even a large metal rendition of a crumbling building that took over an entire corner of the room.

Rock took her elbow and guided her to Carter’s photos. The lighting was perfectly done to show each image at its best. “These are his.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “Those are nice. He’s really good.” There were murmurs of agreement from the people standing around them.

He smiled, the pride growing within him even though it wasn’t his to earn. Where in the hell was Carter? He needed to hear this.

Rachel struck up a conversation with the woman next to her, and he moved toward the bar to get her a glass of wine. He was on his way back when he spotted Seth entering the gallery, Allie, Cali and Kendra with him. This was one of those small-world coincidences that Deklan had referred to. Not only were the women in relationships with the three founders of The Den, but they also lived in the same complex as Carter.

He handed the wine off to his sister and went over to greet them.

“Hey.” He slapped a hand on Seth’s shoulder, shaking his hand. “Thanks for coming.”

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Cali said, her green eyes shining.

“Definitely not,” Allie agreed, looking around. “This is so nice.”

“The gallery owner knows what she’s doing,” Rock said. It was lame, but he was completely out of his element here. “You all look beautiful tonight,” he added, motioning to the women who were all decked out in stylish dresses. Good manners were something he could always fall back on.

“Thank you, Rock.” Kendra gave him a once-over and smiled. “You’re looking handsome yourself. I like the suit.”

He glanced down, noting her bare ring finger. What was Deklan thinking? It was hard not to straighten his tie or adjust his cuffs, but he managed to take the compliment without blushing. “Thank you.”

“The others shouldn’t be far behind,” Seth said. He had his hair tied back and he worked his expensive suit better than Rock did. The man actually appeared comfortable in his.

“So you and Carter, huh?” Allie raised a brow, a grin lightening the question. “My gaydar is seriously broken because I never suspected either one of you.”

“Allie,” Cali admonished, slapping her on the arm.

“What? I didn’t know. Did you?”

Kendra laughed, breaking the tension. “I don’t think you even have a gaydar, Allie. You had no clue about Seth or Tyler either, if I remember right.”

Allie tossed her curly hair over her shoulder, hooking her arm with Seth’s. “I think we need some wine.” They walked away to a chorus of chuckles, including Seth’s.

“Hey.” Marcus grabbed Rock from behind, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a brief hug. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” he said with a firm nod of his head. It was—if Carter would get there. He glanced at the time again and checked his phone for messages. Nothing. He turned back to Marcus and his girlfriend, Quinn. “You look great.”

“Thank you.” Quinn rubbed a hand over her rounded belly, clearly displayed beneath her dress. “But I don’t think that’s going to last much longer.”

“Ha!” Cali interjected with a laugh. “I was bloated like a balloon by the time I was six months pregnant. Your little baby bump is so Hollywood perfect it almost looks fake.”

“Give it time,” Quinn said, smiling. “I already feel huge. I can’t imagine three more months of growing.”

Rock was so staying out of that discussion. He glanced at Marcus, who was rubbing Quinn’s shoulders, a bemused but happy expression on his face. Their new relationship was obviously working out for them, despite the pressures that came with Quinn being one of Hollywood’s ex-sweethearts and his being a Dom and partner at The Den. The thin strip of black leather that circled her neck told him more than their smiles did.

“Am I the last one here?” Vanessa asked as she stepped up to the group. Her slick black hair hung glossy and smooth over her bare shoulders to settle across her red sleeveless dress.

“No,” Kendra answered for him. “The star of the show is still missing.”

“Deklan, Tyler and Jake are on it,” Cali supplied, her hand lifting to stroke the infinity-link choker around her neck.

Rock gave Vanessa a quick hug and thanked her for coming as the others continued talking.

“How are you doing?” she asked softly.

“Okay.” That was all he had at that point. It was six-thirty, and Carter still wasn’t there.

“I’m happy for you,” she went on. “I hope it works out.” As the only female partner in The Den, the hard-edged Domme still managed to retain her gentler side with those she cared about.

“Thank you. So do I.”

He hadn’t divulged all of his life details to the other partners, but they were close enough now that the essential information was already known to the group. He didn’t need to keep Carter a secret anymore.

“Noah sends his regards and said not to worry about the club tonight.”

“I owe him one.” Noah had volunteered to work that night so the rest of the partners could be here for Rock, but a couple of them were scheduled to head over to the club later.

“We all do,” she said before pointing to Seth, who’d returned with Allie and glasses full of red wine. “Where’d you get those drinks?”

Rock stepped out of the circle to go check on his sister. He wanted to introduce her to his friends, but the room was getting crowded and he couldn’t spot her. That was damn amazing, given that flashy pink hair of hers.

“Rock.”

He turned around to see Leslie weaving her way through the people, a tall, lanky gentleman in tow.

“This is Grant Thompson,” she said when they reached him. “I thought you’d like to meet before the unveiling.”

“Mr. Fielding,” Grant said, his long face overcome with a broad smile that sent wrinkles gathering along his brow and around his eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. And call me Rock, please.”

His handshake was firm, his demeanor warm. “Certainly, if you’ll call me Grant. I feel like we already know each other after all of the emails and calls we’ve exchanged.”

“I agree.”

“I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to do this.”

“It’s me who needs to thank you and Leslie for getting it all arranged so quickly.” He hoped the extra work was worth it.

“We should head up there,” Leslie said, motioning toward the stage. “I haven’t spotted the elusive Mr. Montgomery yet. Have you seen him?” She looked to Rock, who shook his head.

He let them go ahead so he could take out his phone and fire off a text to Tyler.
Where the f are you?
He was at the stage when the reply came back.
Parking now
.

Damn. Maybe this was a bad idea. Could he really go through with it? He had to. He’d given himself no outs and no options for exactly this reason. He’d spent his whole life denying himself, his life, his happiness. There was no way he was backing out now.

* * *

“Come on. We gotta go.” Tyler slammed the SUV door and took off at a slow jog through the parking garage.

“What’s the hurry?” Carter followed along, cursing as he slipped his arms into his suit jacket and tried to straighten it out. “The show goes ’til ten.”

Jake put a hand on his back to hurry him along. “Trust us. You want to get there soon.”

“Rock is going to kick my ass,” Tyler muttered before he bounded down the stairwell, his
footsteps echoing against the concrete.

Christ
. Carter buttoned his jacket, ran a hand through his hair and descended the stairs faster than he thought was necessary.

“I knew I should’ve dropped you guys off.” Deklan’s voice carried down the stairwell over the patter of shoes.

“But you don’t want to miss this,” Tyler hollered up. “Trust me.”

Carter squinted into the sunlight as they exited the darkness of the garage and headed up the sidewalk in the direction of the gallery. It was one of the nicer ones in the area, and he’d been more than humbled by the upscale and refined atmosphere of the place.

The sidewalks were busier than normal, and he had to slow down multiple times to let people pass before he could hustle around a strolling couple. Tyler’s urgency had rubbed off on him and every delay sent his pulse racing faster.

He finally reached the gallery to find the spacious room filled with people to the point that he had to squeeze between a few just to get inside. The cooler air rushed over the perspiration on his forehead and he wiped at it distractedly as he followed the direction of everyone’s gaze.

“Ah.” The soft voice of the gallery owner came through the hidden speakers and filled the room. “Now we can get started.”

She went on to thank everyone for attending, and he fuzzed her out as he realized Rock was standing up there, just off the stage. His heart tripped a beat. God, he was handsome. His hair looked freshly cut. The high and tight showed off his smoothly shaven jaw and made his scar seem profound, not violent. His black suit displayed his broad shoulders and trim waist, which was accentuated by the rest position pose he naturally held.

And there was no way Carter could miss the stunning royal blue tie he was wearing either. It was a match to the one he had on.

What is going on?

“You should get up there,” Tyler whispered at his side as he nudged him.

“Why?”

“Just go.” The little push he gave Carter almost knocked him into the older gentleman in front of him. He glared at Tyler then returned his attention to the stage without moving.

The man who’d been standing next to Rock was stepping onto the platform as everyone clapped. He’d miss the introduction. The guy was tall and trim with graying hair and a friendly smile that he flashed at everyone.

Carter scanned the room as the man started to speak. He was surprised to see the ladies from his condo complex standing with a group along the wall. Cali gave him a small wave, which prompted Kendra and Allie to look his way and do the same thing. He should’ve expected they’d be here, given their boyfriends had dragged him here. But what was all the hype about?

“I’m here tonight to unveil the new campaign we’re driving to garner equal benefits and rights from the government for same-sex couples in the military.” Carter snapped his attention back to the podium, his stomach flipping as he started to put things together. The man glanced back to Rock before continuing. “The repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and the more recent Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act were big steps forward. But there is still more to be done.” He turned toward Rock then, swinging his arm out in acknowledgement. “Mr. Fielding right here is a prime example of the sacrifices our serving men and women make every day to keep us all safe and to preserve our freedoms. He…well, let me just show you why I admire him.”

The guy moved to the side as two men stepped up to the cloth-covered object sitting on a large easel. “This photo was submitted by Mr. Fielding for a contest, which brought it to my attention. As an ex-service member myself, I was immediately touched by the power of the image. The photographer was very talented in his ability to capture so much in one picture. Mr. Montgomery is a local artist, whose work is also displayed here tonight.”

Carter was positive he was going to faint at that point. His world had gone dark, the tunnel vision focusing down to the hidden image on the easel. Sound became muffled, the rest of the man’s speech lost to the pounding of his heart in his ears.

Rock hadn’t said another word about the picture or the campaign. He’d assumed Rock had tossed the offer like he would’ve. That was a private, personal picture. It’d never been intended for the public. Yet…

The black cloth was carefully lifted to reveal an oversized, mounted enlargement of the photo of Rock. A round of murmurs and clapping went through the room, but he could only stare at the image of Rock, essentially bared and exposed to the world. The words
I’m Gay
almost screamed across the room at him.