2. Dinner At Westshore - Larry

Going to these stupid dinner parties was a chore I loathed, even when it was at my buddy Hudson's house. I coveted his house on the water for sure and his decorator. Maybe even his boyfriend a little, or rather that he had a boyfriend. Not that I was into daddy kink like they were at all. Hell, I wasn't into any kinks. What the hell was wrong with regular vanilla sex? Wasn't it enough that I was gay? It seemed like everyone had to have their own different thing—some kind of kinky label—in addition to their sexuality. Bears and daddies or pups! How exhausting. I was simply me–Larry Henderson, broker and partner in some ventures with Hudson. That was it. Wasn't it enough?

I walked in and greeted Hudson and his boyfriend, Levi. Then meandered into the living room. I shook hands with Jake Cornell, one of the investors for our renewable energy project, then Ward Predmore, who hadn't been on our radar as an investor but somehow had a connection through his boyfriend, Jaxson Hoadley, to Levi, and could potentially add some needed funding. Ward and Jaxson were certainly from the right circles.

"Oh, Hudson, come meet Drew and Justin," Levi called. He had certainly stepped up well to the role as host.

"Hello." I shook hands with Drew and Justin in turn, still not knowing who they were beyond names.

"Drew King," he gave his full name. "This is Justin Rockwell."

"Drew owns a law firm in Tampa, and Justin is his boyfriend. Aaand Royce's boyfriend, Quinn works with him," Levi added dramatically.

I had to force myself to refrain from rolling my eyes at his theatrics. "Great. So nice to meet you." I barely recalled Royce beyond the fact that he was in that same friend group with Levi and Jax. All that had something to do with a roommate situation that happened before Levi moved in with Hudson.

As if called forth my the mention of his name, Royce wedged his way in beside Drew. "Royce Mabry. I'm sure you remember me." He stuck his hand out, so I shook it. Mabry. That was a famous name around Tampa. I wasn't sure how I'd forgotten that.

"Yes. Nice to see you again, Royce."

His slightly pudgy boyfriend wrapped his arm around Royce's shoulder as he announced himself as Quinn Setzer. So he must have been the lawyer who worked for Drew King. I had become skilled at remembering connections and names over the years, so I was unsure why I was having difficulty keeping it straight now.

"This is Larry Henderson, Hudson's business associate," Levi informed him with an arm flourish.

Everyone nodded and small talk ensued. I smiled and did my share of the nodding, feeling completely off. I was bored for sure, but it was more than that. I didn't want to be there. It was important, and certainly, I was the first person to push Hudson into doing these social events. Hell, the party was my idea. But—

"Larry." Levi was cute enough, but I found him slightly annoying. "You should totally go on Jax's cruise." He seemed too young for my friend, but to each his own.

"Cruise?" I asked, but mostly out of politeness.

"Yes, you know, he owns Hoadley Yacht Private Vacations. It's a start-up but gaining in popularity around here. And he's christening a new boat for Pride."

Hudson finally appeared and put an arm around Levi. "Hasn't it turned into a couples cruise?"

"I don't think so. I hadn't heard that." Levi rolled his eyes.

"No, no." Hudson shook his head. "Ward shared the guest list. It's couples."

"I don't know. Maybe that was the initial list. I mean, Todd is coming, of course. Jax?" He turned to find their friend and apparent cruise organizer-slash-owner.

"What? Todd?" Jax looked across the room, searching for him. I followed his gaze, and there he was. Todd. I hadn't realized how much I felt toward him until I saw him standing there again. "You know Todd Foster, right, Larry? He's my best friend, of course he'll be there."

But all I could concentrate on was one name. Todd Foster. Levi's ex-roommate and new best friend. And also one who had a kink. A pet play kink. What the hell was that about? And why did the guy get under my skin so terribly? I actually scratched at my arm, thinking about him.

"Oh, and no," Jaxon answered, adding to our conversation. "It isn't officially for couples. Larry, you can come for sure. It's still a few weeks off, and we're still finalizing the guest list."

"Sorry, babe." Ward kissed the side of Jaxson's head. "I didn't mean to cause confusion."

"Oh, no big deal. Nothing is final. But I admit, we do have a lot of couples coming." Jax shrugged.

I wanted to ask about Todd, but I didn't. I smiled politely. "I'll think about it. Send me the dates, Hudson, and I'll check my schedule."

"Sure, sure."

Then dinner was announced, and we filed into Hudson's dining room. The table had a medium wood tone that made the space warm and fit the ten of us perfectly. It still felt bright and open, next to a wall of windows on the back side and French doors to the patio on the other. Being open to the kitchen with the huge peninsula bar also helped lighten it up. His designer did a fantastic job with décor that complimented the space, so it felt comfortable and not too crowded even with this many people.

We ate. Talked. Of course, the subject of our energy company came up and Hudson was eloquent in describing our offering. I added what I needed about the finances. But at these things, it wasn't a hard close. I would follow up with the right people the next week. The process left me feeling jaded for the first time.

And why?

And why was Todd the only bright spot of the night when he had hardly even spoken to me? In fact, every time I tried to catch his eye, he turned away and started a conversation with someone else. And when I tried to bring him into any conversation, his comments were brief. It was as if he wanted nothing to do with me. And I couldn't blame him. But I hated it.

I had blown it at Levi's Birthday party. Todd brought up his kink, and I balked. I had actually shamed him, saying it was nothing but a childish and foolish game. But what the hell did I know about pet play? I had seen guys dress up like dogs for Pride, but the way Todd spoke about it implied they did it all the time. They got together and pretended to be dogs. I didn't understand the purpose of that. Hell, I didn't remember even playing pretend as a child. I didn't understand pup play any more than I understood Hudson's daddy fetish. But I didn't judge him for it. I didn't give a shit what they did behind closed doors. I wasn't judging Todd, either. Not really. But when I tried to say as much, he lost it and yelled at me before storming out.

I guess the guy didn't give second chances.

Fuck it all. Maybe I would have to be resigned to being lonely for the rest of my life. Maybe I could forget about Todd. I scratched at my arm again and reached for my drink.