It just . . . it didn’t feel very fake, and that was frying Nico’s synapses. Screwing with his resolve not to crush on another jock.
Fuck. Focus on the moment. On the suite. He looked around. Not quite as nice as the one at CitiField in New York. And not just because he was from New York either. The . . . well, those . . . actually, it was just as nice. But definitely not nicer.
The glass panels were closed today, given the temperature, but Nico slid them open and slipped outside. Luke’s partner wanted to introduce him to the senior people, and Nico knew enough to let that happen without him.
Kent and Sebastian had just shown up—three innings into the game—and Kent immediately showed off his very important boyfriend. The pained look on Sebastian’s face made Nico feel for the guy. Sebastian probably didn’t know the score with Kent, or maybe he was starting to suspect. Someone should tell him. Just not Nico. That could never come off well.
Only two other people sat outside, and they sat in the first two seats of the front row. Figuring others would soon come out, Nico sat at the far end.
The game was uneventful, but still good. Aaron Nola, the Phillies’ best pitcher, mowed down the Chicago Cubs. He was working on a shutout. That fact Nico knew what that meant gave him a twinge of pride. Go, me!
One of the Phillies hit a high fly deep to the left field side. The crowd stood and cheered, until the outfielder caught it for the third out. Nico needed a drink but stopped when Kent walked toward him.
“Hi, Nino.” There was just enough snark in his voice that Nico knew the slipup had been intentional.
Kent held out his hand as he closed the last few feet.
Several thoughts raced through Nico’s mind: ignore the offered shake, spit in his hand before accepting, squeeze Kent’s hand as hard as he could, or . . .
Nico flashed his dimples and pumped Kent’s hand. “Kirk, how are you?”
“It’s Kent.”
“I know.” He jerked his hand back, still smiling. “Just like you know my name is Nico.”
Kent’s lips thinned, and his jaw muscles twitched. When Nico tried to walk around him, Kent didn’t budge, effectively blocking the way. “You’re not that big a deal, you know.”
“Says the nobody trying to block me from getting a drink.” Shaking his head, Nico stepped over his chair into the row above.
“Oh right, the mighty Amato bakery boy. Yes, I’m sure everyone here is so impressed.”
Nico stopped, looked at Kent for a moment and then inside where Sebastian talked to Luke and Luke’s mentor.
Nico kept his voice low. “You scummy piece of shit. You cheated on Luke, left him in a financial bind, and broke his heart just so you could leverage Sebastian’s family into a job offer. I’ve seen my fair share of snakes in my time, but you are one of the biggest.”
“You don’t know shit, dough boy.” Kent hopped the row, cramming his face in front of Nico’s. “Luke’s a fool. He’s so straitlaced, he’ll never get ahead. His career goals are to become Mr. Salaryman. To settle down and plan for the future. Boring. That’s not for me.”
“Fine, he’s not for you, but that justified cheating on him? Pretending you’d help pay for the apartment you knew he couldn’t afford on his own?” Nico leaned in, making sure to use his height to look down at Kent. “You’re a user. Nonna calls people like you porca troia. And you are. Now, please step aside.”
The outer door opened, and Luke stepped out holding two glasses of wine. His dark eyes landed on them warily. Kent followed Nico’s gaze and inched back.
“Nice talking to you, Nico.” The fake smile made Nico’s skin itch. “I need to get back to Seb.”
Nico forced himself to smile and waved at Kent. “Good talking to you too.”
“Sebastian is getting you a drink,” Luke said to Kent. Clearly, he hadn’t heard their conversation. “Said he’d meet us here.”
“Great.” Kent glanced at Nico. “I’ll find him, and we’ll be right out.”
Nico filled his cheeks with air and slowly exhaled.
“What was that about?” He handed Nico a glass. “I have no idea if it’s full-bodied, but Mr. Rayner said the riesling was good, so I got two.”
“I see your boss likes sweet things.” Nico smirked before he took a sip. “But he’s right, this is good.”
Luke tasted his wine. “And you’re right, it is sweet. What were you and Kent talking about?”
“Not much.” He didn’t like lying, but Luke obviously wasn’t hating on his ex. “He mentioned his future plans. How he wants to get hired after the summer.”
Luke snorted. “That would explain the beeline to Mr. Rayner when they arrived. He interrupted us in his hurry to introduce Sebastian Forsythe.”