Krewe Daddy (11 page)

"Thanks." Drew walked to a large photo display hanging on the wall. The framed images showcased some of the floats and three-dimensional art created by Magik Studios. He had to admit, learning that Luis worked for Magik was a surprise. He'd always thought Luis was very talented, but landing a job in one of the premier float design firms was a real coup. He stopped in front of a photo featuring Luis and another person in front of a Mardi Gras float. After closer inspection, Drew realized the client was Ronnie.

Figures.

The longer he waited, the more Drew wondered if he'd made a hasty decision about coming today. Maybe he should have given himself a little more time to think things through. He glanced at his watch.
I'll do this another time.

"Sir, Mr. Herrera is off the phone. I'll let him know you're waiting."

Too late to leave now.
He drew a calming breath. "Thank you."

"Just a moment."

Turning back to the photos, Drew put his hands in his pockets and tried not to sweat. To say he wasn't nervous would have been a bald-faced lie. His heart hammered like a freaking drumroll.

"Mr. Herrera will be right out."

The woman's voice startled him. "Thank you." He looked toward the hallway behind the receptionist's desk. He felt like he was waiting for a nurse and gurney to wheel him into surgery.

Luis walked into the lobby. Dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and red tie, he looked every bit in control.

He didn't extend his hand for Drew to shake; instead, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand.

"My office is this way."

They walked shoulder-to-shoulder in silence. Drew studied Luis covertly as they went. He noticed a few lines around Luis' eyes and in front of his ears. His hair and beard were jet-black, except for a few flecks of silver on his temples. Luis' scent, unfamiliar now, captivated him, making Drew feel like he was falling back into that submissive role so long forgotten.

Luis ushered him into his spacious office. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a bird's eye view of the French Quarter.

The door shut with a soft click.

"Have a seat, Drew."

The sound of Luis saying his name was like a homecoming, yet he resisted the allure. "I won't be here long."

"Suit yourself." Luis took off his suit jacket and hung it up. Afterward, he walked to the front of his desk while unbuttoning his cuffs. He never looked at Drew the entire time he rolled the sleeves. Finished, Luis sat, clasped his hands between his thighs and gave Drew his attention.

"What do you want?"

The reality of being in the same room with Luis was so powerful that Drew could hardly breathe. All the emotions of the past—love, hate, anger, loneliness, and disappointment—rushed over him. The words to answer this simple question were out of his grasp. They flew from his brain like confetti in a tickertape parade.

Luis' dark eyes bored into him. "Are you going to stand there staring at me or tell me why you're here? I could unbutton more of my shirt and show you some new ink."

Drew blinked back to reality. "I could, too. Our meeting at Tanners was nothing but an exercise in awkwardness. I thought we should try to have a civil conversation.

Maybe we can move on."

Luis narrowed his eyes at Drew, seeming to contemplate a hidden question. "Is that what you want—to move on?"

He stiffened, not knowing whether to say yes or no. "We have unfinished business."

"That's true." Luis stood. "Where do you suggest we have this tête–à–tête?" He drew a deep breath; the sound of oxygen whistled through his nostrils. "In my bed?"

Luis closed the space between them. "Or would you prefer to settle this here? I can lock the door. Are you still into gag balls?"

Drew's heart strummed like an old-fashioned, wind-up alarm clock. He was aroused, curious, and completely caught up in Luis' seduction. The words
fuck me old
man
were on his tongue. Drew stepped back, needing airspace between himself and the drug named Luis.

"Not here."

The corner of Luis' mouth turned up. A glimmer of pride appeared in his eyes.

Luis seemed to be taking in every detail about him.

"You look good."

The simple admission startled Drew. "Thank you. Can we meet somewhere more private to continue this conversation?"

"Is that what we're having? A conversation?"

Seduction laced his voice.

Drew's cock stirred to life. He clenched his fists, frustrated about the obvious control Luis still had over him. Heat climbed up his neck and into his face. Drew was appalled to know he had stared death in the face, and the sound of this man's voice was turning his feet to clay.

"Let's get together on neutral ground."

Luis crossed his arms over his chest. "We can always go somewhere after, if we feel like it."

"Knock it off."

Luis crooked an eyebrow.

"You heard me. Stop with all the seductive bullshit." Drew kept his voice down, but he wanted Luis to know he meant business. "We haven't seen or talked to each other in years, and you're acting like I've been away on a long weekend, and you need a hot piece of ass."

Luis scratched the corner of his mouth, still saying nothing.

"I should have known you hadn't changed. I'll see myself out." Drew reached the door in a few long steps.

"Wait."

Hand on the doorknob, Drew didn't turn around.

"Wait."

He looked over his shoulder.

Luis rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger. "Where should we meet?"

"How about Jackson Square tomorrow morning before work? I start at seven."

"That's fine. I have a lighter morning tomorrow, so I can come in a little late."

Drew nodded. "I'll let you get back to work."

* * * * *

After tossing and turning half the night, Drew got up at five. Recollections of his years with Luis wove their way into his dreams, leaving his mind in confusing disarray.

He paid extra attention to his grooming. Even though he'd be wearing his uniform, looking good added to his confidence level. And to Drew's way of thinking, he needed all the confidence he could get, whenever he was near Luis.

An hour later, he locked the apartment door behind him and drove into town.

Knowing he'd be early, Drew planned to stop at Café Du Monde. He hadn't had their chicory-flavored coffee and beignets in a long time. The sky looked like dirty wash water, but his morning seemed brighter knowing he'd have a breakfast treat.

* * * * *

Coffee in one hand and powdered sugar-covered donuts in the other, Drew thumped his booted heels on the stone pavers in Jackson Square. He found a decent vantage point, then sat down to wait for Luis. Coffee cup poised at his lips, Drew noticed Luis entering the square from the same direction he had, also carrying a coffee cup. Drew must have missed him at the Café by only a few minutes.

His stomach churned. Last evening's meeting hadn't gone too badly, but Luis still had the upper hand. Drew wanted to turn that around this morning and even the playing field. He waved Luis over.

"Good morning." Dressed for business, Luis sounded the same way he looked.

He glanced at the dark sky. "Doesn't look good."

"Let's get on with it, then."

Luis sat next to him and took a sip of coffee. "What do you want from me, Drew?"

"I want to apologize for cheating on you with Teak. I should have been man enough to end things with you first. I was angry and hurt. That's not an excuse, it's an explanation. I'm sorry."

Luis ran his fingertip along the edge of his coffee cup. "Is there a 'but' in there somewhere?"

"No. The time has passed for trying to rationalize my behavior—or yours."

He looked at Drew, his eyes like puddles of hot chocolate, so warm and inviting.

"Thank you. I said this then, and I'll tell you again now—I never cheated on you."

Finding the statement still hard to believe, Drew frowned. "All the guys hanging on you . . . pawing you . . . ."

"You weren't blind, obviously, but I didn't act on their invitations when you were there or behind your back."

Drew's heart sank.
What a fucking idiot I was. All those wasted years. All that time
spent on negative emotions.
"I wish I could have heard that honesty, seen the truth then."

His voice low, Luis said the words Drew had waited years to hear. "I could have tried harder to make you believe me. I thought you were immature and over-reacting. I never thought when you left that day . . . ."

Raindrops fell, leaving wet splotches the size of pennies.

Luis rose. "I can't go to work soaking wet."

Drew stood with him, and they walked in the direction of the café. "Where does this leave us?"

"I don't know. You seem to be in pretty tight with Agent LaMontagne."

Drew grabbed Luis' arm, slowing him. "How did you know his name? I never told you."

Smirking, Luis resumed his quick pace, leaving the square. "I wondered if he'd tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"He and I had a little conversation last week at your office."

You tracked me down?
The idea thrilled Drew, but he kept his tone on an even keel. "You did? He didn't say a word."

Luis chuckled. "He behaved exactly the way I would have. He wants you for himself, and I'm a threat."

Drew's heart pounded, his breath stalled in his lungs.
Was Luis sounding proud,
even eager for the competition?

Luis pointed. "Look, I'm over there. Let's pick this up tonight."

"Where? When?"

The rain's intensity increased. Luis ran across the street, calling over his shoulder, "My place at seven. If you found my office, you can find my apartment."

* * * * *

Drew hung around after his shift ended and waited for Kyle. They hadn't seen each other since their phone conversation the other evening. Drew would have left things that way if Luis hadn't told him about their meeting. He walked to Kyle's cubicle and knocked on the wall partition's metal frame.

"Got a minute?"

Kyle smiled, and leaned back in his chair. "Sure. How are you?"

"Pretty good." There was no point in playing games. Drew launched the conversation with a pointed question. "Why didn't you tell me you'd seen Luis—that he came here?"

Red color crept up Kyle's neck.

Busted
. Drew waited for him to concoct a reasonable explanation.

"He's no good for you. He's been messing with your head and your life for years.

This time isn't going to be any different."

Bile rose in Drew's throat. He didn't expect this kind of blatant manipulation. "It's my life, Kyle. I'm an adult."

"You don't act like one whenever his name comes up. You act like a lovesick dog."

"I've always been upfront about my situation with Luis."

"I thought we were moving on together, and that bastard screwed up everything by showing his ugly face." Kyle's expression revealed his emotional strain. "Since you know about the meeting, that must mean you've talked to him."

He nodded. "We have spoken and seen each other a couple of times."

"Was he as good as you remembered?"

On the verge of losing his temper and raising his voice to inappropriate levels, Drew had to end the conversation.

Kyle uttered a final remark. "Fuck you, choirboy." A smug look was plastered all over his face. Though keeping his voice low, he spoke in a triumphant, prophetic tone.

"That's what he'll do to your body, your mind, your heart. And when he's done fucking with you, don't come crawling back to me. I'm done. Kiss my ass, you stupid son of a bitch."

That sealed the deal. If Drew had any misgivings about breaking things off with Kyle, he didn't have them anymore. He left the building and went to his SUV. The conversation replayed in his mind as he drove out of the parking lot and toward the freeway. Drew had every right to be pissed off at Kyle for being manipulative, yet he knew to some extent that Kyle was right. Luis had played God with Drew's emotions time and again.

He put on his turn signal and merged onto the freeway.
Tonight, we'll be having
dinner, alone.
The idea thrilled and scared the shit out of Drew. He had absolutely no idea what to expect.
Luis must be interested in patching things up, or he wouldn't have
invited me.
For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he wanted from Luis.
Do we
deserve a second chance?

Glad that traffic was lighter than usual, Drew changed lanes, then took his exit in Metairie. He drove past the parked cars along the avenue, roasting in mid-September's sunshine.

Maybe having no agenda tonight was the best way to approach things. If he had zero expectations, he wouldn't have any disappointments, would he?

While parking in his designated spot outside his apartment building, Drew remembered Luis' seductive charm. His voice, his word choices, the way he reached right into Drew's soul and yanked out all his secrets. Drew turned off the ignition. It would have been so easy to have had sex in Luis' office.

Would Luis want that to happen tonight? Do I?
His chest tightened.
The attraction is
still there, but is Luis assuming his dominant role with me because he thinks I expect it? Is it a
facade?
Suddenly nervous, Drew clenched the steering wheel.
I'm older, wiser to his
games. I've lived more, got my confidence, and a cop's nose now. If he's bullshitting me, I'll
know it.
He let out a long breath.
I hope to God I'll know it.

Pierce's information had been rock-solid about Luis' lifestyle. Drew couldn't help being impressed as he parked his truck. He walked to the residence elevators. A security guard checked his ID and cleared his arrival with Luis before letting him pass.

Drew entered the elevator. On the seventeenth floor, the door opened. He padded through the vacant hall to Luis' condo. Anxiety tickled his psyche. Luis knew he was here. If he left, he'd know Drew was a coward. He pressed the bell.