I took the glass the masked man handed to me, and noticed he didn’t give the bartender any cash or credit cards. Open bar. There wasn’t even a tip jar, and since my new friend hadn’t left one, I had to assume the workers here were compensated so well, they didn’t require tips.
Hell. Maybe if grad school didn’t work out, I could nab a job working here.
We clinked glasses together. “Cheers to new experiences,” the man said.
I lifted my glass. I could drink to that. “Cheers.”
He’d just launched into a funny story about the time he showed up at a masquerade dressed up as Robin Hood, only to discover the attire was tuxedos and half-masks, when his face lit up. He waved at someone over my head. “I’m so sorry, but would you excuse me for a moment? I see an old friend. I’ll try to drag him over to meet you in a bit—he’s a little reserved but one of the smartest people I know, and full of interesting tidbits of knowledge. In the meantime, please, circulate and meet some new people. I don’t want to get a slap on the wrist for monopolizing one of the new recruits.”
He patted my shoulder and then disappeared into the crowd behind me. Well. That hadn’t been so bad. With a fresh beer in hand and my first introduction behind me, I turned to find other approachable-looking members. I’d just started in the direction of two masked men, one who’d smiled invitingly at me, when I heard a familiar voice.
I stumbled, my beer sloshing dangerously close to the top of my glass before I righted myself. No. It couldn’t be. And yet...
I whirled and scanned the crowd. Listening intently.
I’d almost convinced myself that my imagination was screwing with me when I heard him again.
David was here.
Shock glued my feet to the floor at first, until anger flashed hot and freed them. Bastard. My head spun as I tried to locate the source of that haughty, perfect enunciation, searching each body in nearby groups until I landed on the correct one.
“Excuse me,” I said through clenched teeth, skirting past the waiter carrying a fresh batch of champagne with long, determined strides. I didn’t stop until I reached two men who chattered away. Both of them laughed periodically like they didn’t have a care in the world. As if one of them wasn’t a big fucking liar.
I threw back another gulp of my porter before inserting myself into their cozy little duo.
“Wow, it can’t be—-but it is. Professor Wright. What a surprise seeing you here, at this…less-than-traditional cocktail party, where men of a certain age go in hopes of hooking up with younger men. Some of them with hipster vibes.”
Although his mask shielded most of reaction, David’s shoulders flinched at the sound of my voice. His smile froze on his face. I’d surprised him. Good. I guaranteed he wasn’t half as shocked—or pissed—as I was to see him here tonight.
He did a slow turn toward me. By the time he spoke, he’d recovered from his shock. “Seb, what a delightful surprise. I didn’t know that you’d be in attendance tonight.”
“Clearly.” I clutched my glass while his casual act fanned the spark in my chest into a full-blown flame.
The bearded man I’d been talking to before glanced between David and I before taking a step back. “I can see I’m in the way here, so I’ll let you two chat. David, come find me later and we can talk some more.”
Then the man winked at me before turning and heading for the bar.
Smart man. He must have sensed how mad I was. Unlike David, who, even from behind the mask, I could tell was regarding me with his typical befuddled look.
That only irked me more.
I swept my arm wide to encompass the room. “The décor is ultra-conservative, I’ll give you that. Hell, some of the suits, too. I hate to break it to you though—a secret club where rich men hook up with younger, less rich men? Not exactly the type of ultra-conservative relationship you went on about back at our last coffee date.”
David sputtered and held up a hand as if to shush me, but I was on a roll. “And what was that about our age gap being an issue? Funny, that doesn’t seem to be an issue at all in this place. I mean, look at that guy,” I point to another newbie like myself, who was nervously fidgeting with an empty wine glass and blushing when one of the masked men whispered something in his ear, “he looks like he still asks for his mommy’s permission to stay out past eleven on a school night.”
My volume was growing but I didn’t care. No, all I cared about at the moment was the fact that David had lied to me.
David glanced around before grabbing me by the arm and leading me into an empty alcove, putting a little more distance between us and the rest of the partygoers.
“Keep your voice down, this is a civilized place,” David said.
Of all the—
“Civilized! Is that it, then? It’s not that I’m too young for you, but that you don’t think I’m sophisticated enough? Jesus, David. I knew you could be a little smug sometimes but I never took you for a snob.”
David’s mouth tightened into an angry line. Good. He deserved that, and more. But in a flash, his mouth eased into a tiny, hard smile. “Really, Seb? Is your ego so inflated that me being a snob is the only reason I could possibly have for turning you down?”
His voice oozed that condescending tone that made me long to punch a wall. I gritted my teeth while he continued. “This,” he swept his arm between the two of us, “is proof of why my decision to avoid any romantic entanglements with a man twenty years my junior was unquestionably sound. I’m far too old to indulge in emotional histrionics like this.”
Holy fuck, he did not just say that. Emotional histrionics? Seriously?
I bared my teeth in what only the most generous of people would label a smile. Even though beneath my ribcage, pain radiated. “No, you’re far too perfect and stuffy to mess with something as pesky as emotions, aren’t you? Give me a break. All I’m saying is that you could have been honest with me! You act all holier-than-thou, like you’re too worried about appearances and my age, and then you show up here looking for a consort. You’re a hypocrite!”
I winced as that last word stormed out, way louder than intended. David’s back went rigid. Casually, he turned, wine glass in hand, to see if anyone had noticed my little outburst.
Apparently satisfied by whatever he saw, he whirled back to me. This time, the hand that gripped me was so firm, I couldn’t have escaped if I’d tried. He practically dragged me down a long, elegant hallway and through an open doorway. I stumbled inside while he slammed the door closed behind us.
We stood alone, in an empty room full of velvety teal fabrics and glimmering silver accents, and David’s face dropped the polite veneer. He ripped the mask off of his face, and, whoa. His dark blue eyes flashed in a menacing way that I’d never seen before. He stalked toward me, backing me up until my back pressed into the wall.
“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it needs to stop. Don’t you dare call me out in public like that again, do you understand? I won’t have it!”
His voice rose, and his chest moved up and down with the force of his breathing.
Finally! I thought. At least this was a show of emotion. He kept everything so caged up usually, I sometimes wondered if he felt things as deeply as the rest of us. I straightened and met his gaze directly. Challenging him. “Is that right? You won’t have it? What, is a public argument too unsophisticated for you? Guess what, David? Sometimes, friends argue! It’s a thing that happens when you give a shit about someone and they hurt you.”