Vaughan studied at his drinking partner for a while. “Aren’t you lonely?”
He got a serious look in return. “Not anymore.”
Vaughan understood. He was gonna have to be careful and make sure he didn’t dedicate every bit of his time to Duke. Even though he’d missed the man like crazy, his father had been missing him just as much. Vaughan was a smart guy; he could figure the situation out, make everyone happy. Him, his father, and Duke.
“Alright big guy. Let’s get the hell out of here. The music is giving me a headache anyway.”
“Here. Here,” Quick agreed.
He finished the last of his beer and went up to pay the tab. The quaint hole-in-the-wall in the heart of Atlanta was a hidden gem he’d heard about through the grapevine. The food was great, and while the music was good, old school stuff, it was a little louder than what he expected. The crowd was low key and people were nice, though. He got a lot of interested looks, mostly from women. He simply returned a slight smile and turned away. He was already taken. His father on the other hand… What was his deal? Vaughan would eventually want to build a life with Duke; he couldn’t be his father’s companion. He needed to find his own, even if it wasn’t for anything serious. At the age of forty-nine, he still had some miles left in him. Since his parents were only teens when they’d been forced to marry, his father had missed out on a lot. Vaughan wanted some happiness for him.
“Let’s pop Armageddon in the Blu-ray and veg out on the couch,” his father suggested happily, throwing his denim jacket on.
Vaughan mock groaned. “Armageddon again! We’ve watched it a million times.” It was their favorite; they could watch that movie a million more times and still be just as engrossed as the first time they watched it.
“You love it. Come on let’s go.”
********
Duke made a third attempt to clip on his gold cufflinks. His collared shirt was white with fine tan pinstripes. He left the top button undone and the hem untucked—just as he’d been instructed. The camel colored Ralph Lauren blazer brought out the tan pinstripes and was the exact length of his shirt. It went perfectly with the faded denim jeans and his brown Clarks casual shoes. He looked in his full-length mirror. He hardly recognized himself. He had to admit, he looked pretty good. His usual ensembles consisted primarily of jeans and t-shirts. With the occasional Polo shirt on special occasions.
He put a small glop of mousse in his hand and tamed his silver locks, simply finger combing them back. His freshly cut edges and sideburns didn’t hurt the look at all. Putting a couple dabs of Bleu De Chanel on the skin just above his collar, he was set to go.
His condo was only a few miles from his office. He had another bail bond taking his calls—if any came—tonight, so they could all have a great time with no interruptions. His phone buzzed when he got in his truck. He adjusted the temperature before pulling out his cell. His smile was broad when he saw the sender.
He and Vaughan had exchanged numbers at lunch the previous day. They’d kept the conversation light and used it as an opportunity to get to know each other all over again, as two grown men. He hadn’t been home for more than an hour after their outing before he got an “I’m thinking of you” text. It wasn’t cheesy or childish. It made Duke feel special. It’d been a long time since he’d been made to feel like that. He read the text.
I’m sure you look good enough to eat
VW
Duke shook his head. The kid was gonna kill him. He wanted Vaughan to do so many dirty things to him, it bordered on illegal. Before he pulled out of his parking lot, he typed a quick response.
You did good on the selection. I hope you like it.
D
When nothing else came, Duke pulled out into traffic and was at his office in less than ten minutes. The parking lot wasn’t full, but he quickly recognized Judge’s truck, especially since Bookem was lying down in the small patch of grass next to the building. He knew Judge would come. He and Charlie had a nice working relationship whenever Judge had floated in to the office. Judge considered Charlie a friend, so there wasn’t a reason to suspect he wouldn’t be at this party. Was he ready to see Judge again? It’d been a few months since he’d seen him, since Duke had limited their interactions to phone conferences only. He could do it. That part of his life was over, there was no reason to dwell on the what could’ve beens. Judge had Detective Austin Michaels now, and just maybe, Duke had Vaughan.