His throat felt thick. “Thank you.”
Blair winked at him. “Don’t start getting emotional on me now, Theo. Lord knows Emily is doing that enough for both of us.”
“And then some,” Theo muttered, turning his face from her before she could see his burning cheeks.
“Why do you keep doing that?” she asked.
Theo jerked his head back toward her. “Doing what?”
“You keep running your tongue piercing over your lips.”
He hadn’t even realized he’d been doing it. The realization made him laugh.
“Ah, well, you see. I might have had an interesting visit to the hospital on Friday.”
Blair looked at him warily. “Do I even want to know?”
Theo grinned. “Let’s just say that a tongue piercing and a dick piercing are not a good combination.”
“Oh God, Theo,” she groaned.
“What? It’s never happened before! I didn’t even think about it till my tongue was stuck.”
“I really don’t want the details, Theo, please. I love you, but I don’t need to hear the details of your sex life.”
“Pfft, that was ruined the minute my tongue got stuck. Still can’t tell if my tongue has recovered or not.”
Blair sighed. “Poor you.”
“Exactly! I was traumatized by the entire thing, and you’re moaning about a few details.”
“I pity the man you were stuck to and whoever helped free you at the hospital,” Blair said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
Theo stepped closer, hooking his arm around her elbow. “Oh, if you think that’s bad, wait till I tell you about my conversation over coffee afterward.”
“Oh, who did you scar?” she asked knowingly.
He regaled the story as they walked toward the front of the building and outside. True to her expectations, he left no details out and was emphatic about just how ‘daddy’ the doctor had been. And just as he’d expected, she was trying desperately hard not to laugh but inevitably lost.
“You cannot be taken anywhere,” she said around her chuckles.
“You can dress me up, but that won’t change a thing,” he agreed.
She looked at him speculatively. “Speaking of…”
“Don’t you even think about it. I’m not dressing up.”
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
“Not you, maybe. I’m not spending the night choking around a suit while playing nice with all the high society people. It’s not happening, Blair.”
“It’s not like I’m asking you to remove your piercings or...well, maybe we can do something with your hair.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “I’m shearing it short, so no, you’re not doing anything with my hair.”
“I’m not going to end up being the winner of this argument, am I?”
“You won the last round, I’m not backing down on this one.”
She patted his arm as they walked. “Fair enough. Now tell me about this cute doctor of yours.”
“I just did.”
“This would be the first guy you brought up that didn’t end up with you sleeping with them, color me intrigued.”
“Only because he said no!”
“Yet he acted like a bashful schoolboy when you flirted with him. Which means he wanted to.”
“So?”
Her grin was devilish. “And that makes him so much more interesting.”
Grant
The night was thankfully cool as he stepped out of the cab and onto the sidewalk. From what he’d managed to gather from Lydia, the art show was a formal event, and he’d had to drag his suit out from the back of the closet. Thankfully, he’d done it early enough that he could take the rather stale smelling outfit to a dry cleaner. By the time he’d retrieved it after work, he’d had all of two hours to get dressed and meet Lydia at the address she provided.
“Thank you,” he murmured to the cab driver, tapping out a tip for the man on the device in the back before closing the door.
Steady streams of people were already making their way into the gallery. It was a relatively simple building with clean lines and minimal decoration. Banners hung each side of the front entrance, black with gold trim and lights shone from within the shrubs around the base of the building illuminating the front. As he looked at the way everyone going in was dressed, he was glad he’d chosen a suit rather than something a little more casual.
“Dr...uh, Grant?” a voice called from his left.
He turned to find Lydia standing on the sidewalk. “Oh, you beat me here.”
“I’m always early for being early,” she told him.
Grant looked her over, nodding his approval. Off the shoulder dress, charcoal gray in color, and intricate lace design on the top. It didn’t demand attention, but it was beautiful. The silver chain necklace around her throat and small hoops in her ears added a bit of color to the wardrobe. What drew his attention was Lydia’s upright pose, and how she stepped toward him with the same purpose he’d seen in the hospital hallways, albeit in heels this time.
Grant smiled. “And don’t you just look stunning?”
She practically shone under the praise. “Well, thank you. I don’t get to drag out the good stuff as often as I’d like. Dom hates dressing up.”
“Or maybe he hates the attention you draw.”
She swatted his arm playfully. “Charmer...continue.”
Grant held out his arm. “Just being honest.”
“Intelligent, beefy, and charming? Honestly, Grant, how are you still single?” she asked as she looped her arm through his.
Grant shook his head. “Please don’t make me regret complimenting you by going on a crusade this early in the night.”
“So I shouldn’t mention that you look absolutely amazing in that suit?”
The corner of his mouth crooked upward. “I never said that.”
“Good, because you dress up very nicely, Dr. Andrews.”
“Grant,” he corrected.
“I think in this case, I should be addressing you as Mister because you have a Mister feel about you right now.”
He mounted the steps with her, frowning. “What does that mean?”
“Well, I would have gone with ‘sir’ but that...would be awkward.”
Grant gave a low strangled noise. “Lydia!”
She laughed, the sound tinkling in the soft din of the gallery. “I’m sorry.”
The smirk on her face told him she wasn’t sorry at all. It was probably a good thing she hadn’t known about his somewhat awkward conversation with Theo days before. Grant could only imagine the number of jokes and references she would have made.
“It’s awfully packed in here,” Grant said, trying to change the topic.
Lydia nodded. “The artist is apparently quite popular in some circles, looks like he’s spreading out a bit more, and word’s got around quick.”
“This is the part where I tell you I have no idea who this man is. Local art isn’t exactly my thing.”
Lydia squeezed his elbow. “Omega.”
“As in Alpha Omega?” Grant asked with a raised brow.