A Betting Man / a Marrying Man (9 page)

“Darling,” she laughed at me. “That’s Terrance Barron. He is filthy rich, almost royalty in England.”

I looked back out on the dance floor. Terry was dipping Anna expertly and twirling her in his arms. He looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back. Turning back to Mrs. Abernathy, I set my glass down on the bar.

“Are you sure?”

She laughed at me. “Oh yes, darling. Positive.”

She pulled her phone out of her clutch and typed in something. She turned it to me and I looked at a picture of what looked like a royal family. Terry’s blue eyes looked at the camera. Oh God. How had I not known?

“You are dating one of the richest men in the world, darling. La crème de la crème!”

I felt sick. How could Terry not have told me that? As many times as we’d been intimate? I excused myself politely and made a run for the bathroom. I stood in front of the sink taking deep breaths. Terry was rich? Terry was Terrance Barron? I’d heard the name, everyone had, but still. How stupid had I been not to link the two names? Was I really SO wrapped up in myself that my brain only focused on me and my little orbit?

I heard the door open and pulled myself together. I splashed water on my face and glanced in the mirror to see Blaine grinning at me.

“What?”

“You are the master!” Blaine clapped me on my back.

“What do you mean?”

“I heard Terry say he loves you! Oh my God, you rock! You got him to fall in love with you in under three months! Dude, you take my crown as king of bets. I bow to your invincibility. You not only managed to get him to fall in love with you, but to make everyone think you fell in love with him, too! That’s double bonus bet points!”

Blaine pulled out his checkbook and scribbled in it. He tore it off and handed it to me.

“There you go, twenty thousand dollars.”

“It was a bet?”

I spun around to see Terry. Oh God—oh no…

“It’s not what you think,” I started.

“It’s not?” Terry looked from me to Blaine. “Did you make a bet with Blaine that you could get me to fall in love with you?”

“Okay, so it was kind of like that—”

“How could you?” Terry whispered brokenly. “This was all just some game to you? See if you could get the ragamuffin to fall for the hotshot ad exec?”

“Terry, please, just let me explain,” I begged.

“I changed everything for you. Wore your tux, changed my hair and wore your fancy expensive watch. Everything I never wanted to be, I changed for you. I wanted you to love me the way I loved you, for
you
, not for some person you pretended to be. All this time you’ve been fucking about with my feelings!”

“Did you just say ‘fucking about’,” Blaine cocked a brow.

“Oh bugger off, wanker!” Terry shouted.

“Well, it seems as if we both did some lying, didn’t we, Terrance?” I watched the color drain from Terry’s face. “Yes I know who you are. Mrs. Abernathy was nice enough to clue me in. Almost royalty, huh? When were you going to tell me that?”

“I wasn’t hurting you!” Terry pointed an accusing finger at me. “I didn’t lie about my feelings, make you open up to me, make love to you! You used me for twenty thousand dollars? That’s all I was to you? Well, fuck you, Kent!” Terry spun on his heel and ran.

“Let him go, Kent. You won,” Blaine said quietly.

“Yes I did.” I looked at Blaine. “I wasn’t pretending, Blaine. I love him. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

I ran out of the bathroom and down the hall after Terry. The floor was filled with people as I scanned the room for him. I saw him ducking through people in his hurry to get out. I crossed the floor, bumping into people and apologizing as I ran. I made it outside to see Terry trying to grab the limo driver’s attention.

“Terry, wait!” I shouted. He turned to look at me and my heart slammed in my chest. He was crying. “Terry, please! Listen to me!”

“Just go away, Kent! You’ve done enough!”

I ran to him and spun him around. “I wasn’t lying when I made love to you. When I held you in my arms and kissed you. You
have t
o know that can’t be faked!”

“Let go of me!”

“Dammit, Terry! I love you!” I searched his eyes. “Please, please, believe me. I’m so sorry for the bet, but I’m not sorry about you.”

The limo pulled up and Terry looked at me for a long time. The limo driver opened the door for him.

“Sir?”

“Just give us a second!” I shouted at the driver. I took Terry by the shoulders. “Please don’t leave. I love you, Terry.” Terry’s eyes filled with tears again. “Please? It may have started out as a bet, but somewhere along the way I fell in love with you. God, please give me another chance!”

Terry shook his head. “I can’t…I’m sorry. I don’t believe you!”

I stood on the busy sidewalk as the man I loved got into a limo and drove away. The frigid air blew across my cheeks, and then a light snow started to fall. I’d never felt so alone in my whole life.

I hailed a cab and took it to Terry’s. If he was home, he didn’t answer. I went all over New York to the places I thought he’d go. Nothing. I finally ended up at home around two in the morning and collapsed onto my bed. The wooden heart frame on my nightstand mocked me. I picked it up and ran my fingertip over Terry’s smiling face.

“Oh shit, what did I do?”

* * * *

I was up by six. I called Blaine by eight and was downtown by nine. I was going to talk to Terry whether he liked it or not. Blaine walked beside me as I reached for the door at Cassidy Messengers.

“Kent.”

“What?” I looked over my shoulder at Blaine.

“I’m sorry, man.”

“Why? I did this, too.”

“No, I mean I saw him coming towards the bathroom. I wanted him to overhear us, so I told Porsche to keep him busy for a few seconds so I could start the conversation.”

“Why? Why did you do that?”

Blaine shrugged his shoulders at me. “I don’t know. Jealousy, maybe? You’ve got the looks, the talent and now the gorgeous boyfriend on your arm.
I’m
used to being that
guy. I’m so sorry, Kent. I don’t want to lose you as a friend. I’ll help you get Terry back.”

I slumped my shoulders and rubbed my face with my hands. “It might be too late. God, I hurt him, Blaine. The look in his eyes…” I shook my head slowly.

“Well, we can’t get him back unless we find him. Now come on.”

The shop was quiet. I could hear voices in the back and Blaine and I walked to the counter and rang the bell.

“Just a sec!” came from the back of the store.

I shifted from one foot to the other and looked at Blaine nervously. There was the sound of a chair moving across bare floor and then a man walked out to the front. Steel grey eyes stared me down. He was maybe six foot, jet black hair with a regal nose and a dimpled chin. Oh hell.

“Spencer Cassidy?” Blaine spluttered.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Spencer’s eyes zeroed in on me. “Well, if it isn’t the asshole.”

“Please tell me where Terry is. I have to talk to him.”

“Why? Why on Earth would I tell you where he is, huh, Samson? You broke that boy’s heart!”

I cringed at the tone of Spencer’s voice. I knew I was a dick. God knows I felt like a ginormous asshole.

“I love him,” I said, raising my eyes to Spencer’s. “I’m in love with him.”

Spencer crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me.

“He’s telling the truth,” Blaine spoke up.

“Nothing from you, blondie,” Spencer pointed at Blaine. “I know how you boys operate. You think playing with people is a game. Well you hurt someone I care about. He loves you, Samson. God knows why, but he does. He changed everything for you, just to be what you wanted, and then you shit on him.”

“You knew who he was?” I asked.

“Of course I knew, ya dumbfuck! I run a background check on everyone in my employ. Terrance Barron wanted to be Terry Barron and so I obliged him. I never told him I knew until last night when he showed up at my house all red-eyed and devastated.”

I put my face in my hands. “Oh, God.”

“Yeah, so here’s the deal. I’ll let Terry know you came by and that you want to talk to him, but I will not betray his confidence. Understood?”

I nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

“Will you at least put in a good word for him?” Blaine asked quietly.

Spencer tilted his head, looking at Blaine. “What did I say, blondie?”

“Sorry,” Blaine mumbled.

“Thank you for your time,” I said, turning and heading for the door.

“Samson.”

I stopped and looked over my shoulder.

“Don’t fuck it up.”

“Yes, sir,” I sighed wearily.

I went back to the office and sat at my desk in a daze. Anna had put a picture of Terry and me on my desk. We were both sitting on my office floor with hotdogs, poring over a new ad campaign. Terry was shoving my hotdog in my mouth. The smile on his face…Lord, I wanted to see that smile again. A soft knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts.

“Come in.”

Anna peeked around the door. “You look awful.”

I grimaced.

“Still no word?” Anna sat on the edge of my desk.

I shook my head.

“If there’s one thing I know, boss, it’s that Terry loves you. He’s hurt, yes, but he’ll come around.”

“God, I hope so.” I tried to smile.

My phone beeped and I absentmindedly hit the button.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Hawke wants to see you, Kent.”

I sighed. When Matthew Hawke’s secretary beeped you, it wasn’t good.

“I’m coming.” Great, now came my ass getting fired.

I went to the top floor and knocked on my boss’ door. I heard the ‘come in’ from the other side and entered. Matthew Hawke was at his desk, face hidden by
The New York Times
.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” I sat down in front of his desk and clasped my hands. Matthew dropped the paper and threw it in front of me.

“Nice headline, don’t you think?”

I looked down and groaned. In huge block lettering, with a nice picture of Terry and me in front of the Waldorf Astoria, was the front page headline ‘The prince and the playboy over?’
”

“I’m so sorry, sir.”

“Hell, don’t apologize to me, son. I think you better apologize to him.”

I looked up and opened my mouth. My boss shook his head and I snapped my mouth shut.

“I heard all about it from Blaine and Anna. You love this man, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

Matthew twirled his pencil between his fingers, staring at me.

“Am I fired?” I asked quietly.

The loud laugh from my boss scared the shit out of me.

“Oh hell, no. I’m a businessman; you don’t fire the man who just won a huge award. Lord, Samson, have you been smokin’ some good shit or what?”

My mouth fell open as a Southern drawl flowed from my boss’ lips.

“Oh yeah, I was born n’ bred in the South, Samson. I’ll tell you sumthin,’ fix what ya did wrong, and then come back to work. Got it?”

I nodded slowly.

“Good, now hightail your ass out of here.”

I went home. I couldn’t do anything anyway. I had no idea where Terry was. I just hoped Spencer would at least put in a good word for me. I looked at the time and contemplated what to do. I couldn’t stay here. I’d go nuts. I grabbed my cell phone and looked at my screensaver. Terry’s smiling face looked back at me. I dialed the one number I knew would come through for me. Even after everything I’d done. It rang twice.

“Kenny?”

“Mamma, I need you.”

~TERRY~

I couldn’t stop the ache in my chest. I’d known something wasn’t right. I’d
known.
Someone like Kent Samson asking me out was preposterous. Well, Terry Barron that is. I’d left Spencer’s in the morning and gone to my apartment. As always, my window was cracked open so I avoided the front door. I just sat there for the longest time and then I packed a bag.

Now I was standing in front of the mirror looking at an airplane ticket in my hand, the one I’d purchased when I first came to New York: my open-ended ticket back to England. The one I swore I’d never use.

Being with Kent had taught me one thing—I needed to go home. My parents, as much as they could be controlling, were still my parents.

I hailed a cab and sat back watching the city I’d grown to love pass me by. I needed time to think. Kent said he loved me. Could I truly believe that, though? After finding out about the bet, I didn’t know if I even knew who he was anymore. Was he Kenny from Alabama or Kent the asshole ad exec? I’d seen both. I really liked Kenny. I wanted to kick Kent in the nuts.

I stumbled through security and onto the plane in a daze of some sort. I hid in the back of the plane and closed my eyes.

Nine hours later, I stood in front of my parents’ house. I was a little worried they’d be angry with me for disappearing on them for two years. The door opened and my mother stood there with a smile on her face. It was kind of creepy.

“Well, now this all makes sense.”

I tilted my head looking at her. “Pardon?”

My mother grabbed me in a tight hug and I hugged her back. It felt wonderful. My eyes watered as she held me to her.

“I’ve missed you, Terry.”

I eased out of the hug and held her at arm’s length. “You called me Terry, not Terrance.”

“Come in.”

I walked through the house like I’d never left. I followed my mother to the tea room and took a seat. She poured me a cup of tea.

“We got
The New York Times
this morning. Your father thought you’d created a scandal.”

“I did not.”

I turned in the seat to see my father come in, all smiles.

“Hello, Father.” I stood up but he waved me back down and took the seat next to me. He hugged me. My parents had been kidnapped by aliens. I was sure of it. My father cupped my face in his hands.

“I rather liked your punk rock look.”

I blinked.

“Pardon me?”

“You didn’t really think we wouldn’t come looking for you, did you?” my father said with a grin.

My mother chuckled. “Your father loved playing ‘spy’ in New York. He became quite good at it.”

I opened my mouth to speak and my mom put her hand up.