The Queen & the Homo Jock King (At First Sight 2)

“Thank you, sweetheart.” I squeezed his hand before letting it fall. The boy blushed and nodded, running around to the other side of the car to take the keys from Darren.

I took my sunglasses off and placed them in the faux-Louis Vuitton purse I carried (and it was an excellent knockoff, if one didn’t look too closely and see the brand name of Luis Valdez, bought from some thrift store ages ago). Darren came around the back of the SUV looking like he just stopped in for a bit of lunch after spending the morning yachting, windswept and tanned skin, smile slightly rakish with a hint of teeth. He was nervous, though, and I was surprised to find out I knew him well enough to see that. It was in the tightness around his eyes, the set of his jaw. A wave

of fondness that I could do nothing to stop rolled over me, and I was once again struck by the need to protect him from his father.

He held out his elbow to me and I wrapped my hand through it, fingers gripping his arm lightly. He smiled at me, slightly strained but he was trying.

“We don’t have to do this,” I murmured, the words just for him. “We could say fuck him and leave right now.”

“What about the bar?” he asked.

I shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. We always do. It’s not as important as—”

He shook his head. “We’re here. We might as well.”

“Can I tell him I didn’t vote for him?”

And there was the smile I wanted to see. “Always causing trouble.”

“It’s what I live for.”

He led me into the club, the automated doors sliding open, artificial air rolling over me, my heels clacking against expensive tile. The club itself was expansive, multiple buildings stretched over acres. We were at the restaurant, wide windows stretched along either side, bright sunlight filtering in, the grass of the surrounding golf course a luscious green. The hostess smiled at us as we approached. Before we reached her, I whispered in Darren’s ear, “I make no promises that if I see someone famous, I won’t freak out and demand they sign my fake tits.”

He stumbled a little bit, coughing harshly. I smiled at the hostess as she frowned in concern. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“It’s fine,” I said. “Sometimes he has trouble walking and talking at the same time. You know how men can be. Always thinking with one head and not the other. Isn’t that right, bae.”

The hostess giggled as Darren glared at me. “Yes, dear.”

“Do you have reservations?” she asked.

“Andrew Taylor is expecting us,” Darren said.

“That sounds ominous,” I said. “Don’t scare the girl, bae.” I looked back at the hostess. “We’re here to have lunch with the mayor. He’s thinking about investing in my company. We sell mayonnaise. Old Slovak recipe from my baba. Very top secret hush-hush. You won’t tell a soul, will you, pretty?”

Her eyes were wide and she shook her head as Darren groaned next to me. “I’ll keep it to myself,” she said. “And if I may, you have to be the tallest woman I’ve ever seen. It’s quite confounding.”

“It’s the mayonnaise,” I said. “We put it on everything. Corn. Pancakes. Apples. Everything.”

“This day will end in tears,” Darren said with a sigh. “Most likely my own.”

“Of course not. Helena’s going to take good care of you.” I leaned in and brushed my lips against his cheek. I felt him shudder.

Helena liked that very much and wanted to lick him.

“Isn’t he just precious,” I asked our new friend as I pulled away.

“You make a very striking couple,” the hostess said.

“Imagine what our children will look like,” I said, just to fuck with Darren. “I think I’d take to pregnancy very well, don’t you?”

“Oh dear god,” he muttered. Then, louder, “Why don’t we just focus on the moment at hand before we knock you up?”

“Such a gentleman,” I told the hostess. “Wants to wine and dine me before impregnation.”

The hostess nodded. “Such a sweet thing to do. If you’ll follow me, Mayor Taylor is already here. I’ll show you to your table.”

I’d hoped we would have arrived before him. When going into battle, it’s always better to have the lay of the land memorized before meeting an enemy face to face. It would have given us the upper hand and made it feel like Taylor was encroaching into our territory. Instead, we’d arrived after him, letting him choose where to sit and how to act.