Fall Apart (6 page)

Damon looked as if he wanted to laugh harder than he did, but instead, his lips lifted at the corners and a quick gleam of white smile came and went. It was a tease of a smile, completely uncalculated, which made it all the more appealing. Alarik wanted to see it again.

“You know you’re really doing
me
a favor.”

Damon’s gaze asked the question his mouth didn’t as he took a bite. A fleck of white frosting clung to his bottom lip.
Lick it off!
Damon complied quite innocently, and Alarik looked away.
Jesus.

He took a second to compose himself before answering. “Your company is saving me from a lonely night as Billy-No-Mates. I’ve only ever met Mandy’s family once, the groom twice, and that leaves me with no one to talk to when you get right down to it. Although I’m certain I could use this reception as an opportunity to pursue legal advice. You and I are surrounded by sharks, I’m afraid, swimming in a sea of business cards.”

Damon wiped his mouth with a small napkin printed with Mandy and Luke’s names in silver lettering. “Standard guest list for a guy like Thackerey. Don’t worry—I don’t have a business card on me and any advice I have to offer has nothing to do with the law.”

“That’s refreshing. Out of curiosity, what advice
can
you provide me?”

“Looking for a better fit in jockstraps? Have I got a deal for you!”

The response was so unexpected that Alarik erupted in laughter. Damon was grinning at him. His humor was so sudden and Alarik’s response to that smile shocked him again. The urge to rush to the coat check and retrieve his camera was strong. He wanted more shots of Damon. There was a compelling need to continue scraping away at the surface to learn more about this man. He really must thank Mandy. She was a genius.

“Sold, Mr. Wright,” he answered, still laughing. “I’ll take your entire stock.”

Damon pointed at him with his fork. “I’m holding you to that. We’re in the middle of a jockstrap slump. Up to our eyes in the things.”

Alarik’s initial impression of Damon had been turned on its head. The flinty stares from the brunch and photo session hadn’t appeared again and the man across from him was turning out to be quietly humorous and very reserved. Of the men Alarik had been involved with, he couldn’t think of one who displayed the same characteristics all at once. It must’ve been truly out of character when Damon snapped at him on the terrace.

He’d told Mandy that Damon was charmingly unsure of himself and now he was realizing that was the wrong conclusion. Damon was a
nice guy
unaccustomed to honest interest from others. The confidence was there, beneath the surface. As Damon pushed the remainder of his cake around the plate, Alarik figured out what it was that was disarming him so—it was the lack of
ego
, an absence of self-importance. In Alarik’s business and day-to-day life, this was a very rare find, indeed.

Damon suddenly glanced up and Alarik had to shift to see what he was looking at. Franco was leaning on the table, hands planted wide apart, with one still partially gripping a drink. He was frowning. Todd was at his side, glancing impassively around the ballroom.

“It’s true,” Franco said, adjusting his bow tie.

Damon stood, a devilish smile spreading over his face. “Where is it?”

Alarik didn’t like being the only one seated, so he stood as well, inserting himself into the proceedings whether they continued speaking in code or not.

Todd stepped forward and with the back of his hand to Franco’s shoulder, he shunted him out of the way, his eyes on Alarik. “You in?”

Alarik had no idea what was happening, but he wasn’t ready to let Damon go. “Absolutely.”

“Come with us,” Franco ordered. It was all very clandestine and over-the-top, which made it twice as fun.

Todd led the way, followed closely by Damon and Alarik. Franco brought up the rear and he was looking around like the eye in the sky for a covert operation. Some remnant of Alarik’s inner troublemaker rose to the surface and he found himself hurrying along, eager to find out what evil he’d signed up for.

Todd took them through the massive main lobby, out a side exit, through a hedge, past a fountain with partially nude fairies holding water jugs, and finally to a secluded section of parking lot. There were only four or five vehicles in the area and nestled under an old-fashioned iron streetlight was a sleek, black BMW.

Franco actually chortled in disbelief at the sight of it. Damon and Alarik gaped while Todd who’d already seen the wedding gift, shook his head.

“What do you know about it?” Damon asked, slowly making his way around the car and keeping a healthy distance from it’s shining surface.

“It’s a 760Li,” Todd answered, his voice unusually reverent. “Six liter, TwinPower Turbo V-12, 445 horsepower.”

Franco choked on whatever oath he was trying to make. “Interior?”

“Amaro full Merino leather. Walnut trim. Bang and Olufsen sound system… The list goes on and on.”

All four of them orbited the car as though it were their personal sun, their eyes wide as they absorbed the staggering machine.

“How much did Thack shell out for this?” Damon asked, awestruck.

“At least one-seventy.”

“Luke’s a lucky bastard,” Franco whispered as Damon let out a low whistle.

“I don’t know about that,” Todd countered. “Mandy’s great, but Thack is going to lord this over Luke, no doubt about it. This is a combination gift and insult.”

Alarik’s brow tightened in confusion. It was just a BMW. “How so?”

Todd spread his arms out wide as if he were imploring a crowd of witnesses to believe his words, and deepened his voice in imitation of Mandy’s father. “I spare no expense when it comes to my little girl. She knows she can always come home because our doors are open, and now, she can drive to us in this BMW that a man like Luke certainly can’t afford.” Todd snorted, his voice returning to normal. “He’ll probably keep a journal tracking when Luke is behind the wheel. I bet he’s got the car bugged.”

“We should tell Luke to have hot monkey sex with Mandy in the back seat so Thack gets an earful,” Damon offered.

“The rear seats have a massage function.”

“Gross.”

They went silent, caught up in the siren-like call of black metallic paint and tinted windows. Damon reached toward it like he was going to run his hand over the hood, but stopped himself at the last second. “I don’t think I can—”

“Me neither,” Todd and Franco said at the same time.

Alarik looked between them. “If this is about a prank, I can’t lift a finger to this vehicle. It goes against everything that I believe in and some things that I don’t.”

They each nodded agreement. Todd pulled two bottles of white shoe polish from his pockets, a regretful twist to his lips, before slipping them back where they came from.

“I have the key,” Todd admitted softly. Every head swiveled his direction, a frenetic excitement suddenly vibrating in their midst. “I don’t think we could be
faulted
for, you know,
sitting
in it….” he trailed off.

There was some obligatory hemming and hawing before Damon called shotgun. When they settled into the leather seats, it was with four matching sighs. The new car smell was like normal new car smell on steroids. They shifted silently, testing seat belts, turning on interior lights, looking for cup holders. The leather was so soft; it was probably made from the pelts of mythical creatures.

“The engine would sound beautiful, I’m sure,” Alarik supplied, peeking through his lashes toward the front seat. “A V-12, did you say?”

A round of agreement from the three other men met his query and Damon and Franco stole glances at the key fob in Todd’s grasp. Less than ten seconds passed before Todd started the engine. Had there been anyone nearby, the masculine
ooohs
of pleasure could have been heard even with the windows up.

Franco patted the headrest of Todd’s seat. “Where are the massage controls?”

A little more fumbling in the dark followed and then Franco and Alarik were both chuckling as their rear ends and lower backs received high dollar treatment.

“Let’s hear the sound system,” Damon demanded.

Todd fiddled with the stereo until an
AC/DC
song screamed through the speakers.
You Shook Me All Night Long
. Alarik didn’t want to investigate, but he thought Franco might have orgasmed beside him.

“One loop around the lot. Just a quick one!” Franco shouted over the stereo. “We can stay out of sight of the entrance.”

Todd turned in his seat, meeting each of their eyes in turn. Damon nodded. Franco nodded. Alarik shrugged.
Why not?

Whirling back around, Todd turned off the music, and shifted into reverse. They didn’t roll from the parking space; they floated on angel wings. There may have been a choir singing, if choirs came in the form of a V-12. None of them could manage a breath as the low thrum of the engine moved through the soles of their feet.

Todd took them on a slow loop around the side lot, the dashboard display creating a magnificent glow on both his and Damon’s faces. Alarik was terrified that they would break something. For a moment he pictured the four of them pushing the car back into the parking spot while it smoked and sputtered. Todd was apparently experiencing the same fear because he was driving no more than ten miles an hour.

Franco was the least concerned, and Alarik recognized suddenly which of Luke’s friends most needed a leash.

“One time—I swear after that we can park—you should open her up, Toddy.”

Todd and Damon acted like they were about to refuse when Franco smacked Alarik in the shoulder. “Tell ‘em, Alarik. Just speed up once on the straightaway, then park.”

Damon watched Alarik over his shoulder and Todd’s eyes were on him in the rearview mirror.

“I suppose you have to consider what Luke would do if this was one of your weddings,” he offered, taking a pass, but at the same time providing an incentive.

Franco crowed his agreement. “One time!”

Barely a second later Todd called out, “Seatbelts, boys.”

Each of them clicked in and with hearts pounding with fear that they were going to have to flee the country after wrecking an ungodly expensive vehicle, Todd rolled to a stop at the far end of the lot. The lights of the main entrance glittered in the distance.

“I hope we don’t end up in jail,” Damon murmured. “I’ve got to open the store tomorrow.”

“All clear?” Todd asked, ignoring him.

“Clear,” they answered in unison, each man looking from his respective window.

“Here we go.”

When Todd’s foot hit the accelerator, they were pushed back against their seats and held there as the car rocketed forward. The engine was quiet and the chassis seemed to hug the ground before stretching out into a cheetah-like sprint across the lot. Surprising all of them and actually eliciting yells of shock, Todd took a corner and accelerated again. He made a circuit of the lot as fast as he could and managed not to burn rubber as he calmly pulled the car back into its designated space.

Todd and Franco sat in pleased silence. Damon stared out the windshield. Alarik sighed. He’d have to find a man with a rich father and ask for one of these.

Before Franco could offer up any further temptations or
just one more time
s, Todd shut off the engine and stepped out of the vehicle. Once they were all surrounding it again, satisfied smiles on their faces, Damon cursed.

“What?” Todd yelped, looking frantically around the lot to see if they’d been discovered.

“Bouquet and garter toss!”

“You know what time that shit’s supposed to happen?”

Damon checked his watch. “Isn’t it soon? Aren’t we supposed to be there?”

They met one another’s eyes for a beat and then shot back toward the hotel. Todd locked the car, jerking the key fob over his shoulder in the BMW’s direction as he ran. Alarik was at Damon’s heels and was instantly distracted by the way the man moved. His shoulders were lean, his stride tight. He was uncommonly athletic and even in uncomfortable dress shoes, he was proving again that he was in excellent shape.

They careened around the fountain, through the hedge and into the side entrance. Todd hurdled a planter as they bolted through the lobby. Franco barely missed running into an older woman carrying a yapping dog. Alarik tried mightily not to laugh when he heard her screech, “Good God!” in their wake.

At the ballroom doors they stopped and straightened their dinner jackets, laughing and trying to pretend they were mature adults who hadn’t deflowered a virgin BMW.

Todd patted Alarik on the shoulder apologetically. “Sorry, man. We don’t get out much around here.”

Alarik offered his hand and they shook. “The best time I’ve ever had at a wedding, honestly.”

The ballroom doors opened and they flinched. It was Valerie and she didn’t seem pleased, which wasn’t a big change from the norm, but her glacial glare was leveled on them in suspicion.

“Where have you been?!” she blurted in that hissing type of yell that women do so well. “Todd. Where are the keys? I know you took them.”

Todd didn’t deny anything, but there wasn’t a trace of guilt in his expression. “What keys?”

The fire that ignited behind Valerie’s eyes had Franco, Damon, and Alarik slowly melting into the background until they’d slipped behind her and into the ballroom. The DJ, as predicted, was calling the bride and groom to the floor for the garter and bouquet toss.

Franco left them, inserting himself into the crowd, trying to act natural, and Alarik smiled as Damon pointed toward the dance floor with his chin.

“Single men on the floor for the garter toss,” he said with a companionable smile. “Unless… Maybe you aren’t single.”

Alarik’s lips tilted upward as he wondered the best way to respond. Something told him to play the moment safe. He’d been watching Damon all evening, devouring his every expression and greedily enjoying the time in his presence, even when Todd and Franco were nearby, ensuring they dug no deeper than the surface.

He kept his mouth shut and nudged Damon toward the dance floor with his shoulder. They shared a quick smile and Alarik noticed the other man’s dusting of freckles for the first time.