[manhatten men 2] A Marrying Man (5 page)

The bakery actually made my mouth water. Spencer had called Valerie’s grandparents from the cab and he would be taking her back the following morning. He and I looked at page after page of wedding cakes. Two-tier, three-tier, four-tier…it was confusing as well as complicated. Then we had to come up with what flavor. I’m a yellow cake kind of guy so picking a wedding cake? Not too good at it. I ended up leaving Spencer in charge of what flavor the cake would be and turned my attention to Valerie. She was taste testing all the different flavored cakes.

“Valerie, stop eating so much sugar.” Spencer pointed at his daughter.
“What’s wrong with it?” I swiped some frosting off Valerie’s plate of cakes.
“Daddy says sugar makes me hyper,” Valerie giggled, taking another bite of cake. “This one’s good, Daddy. Chocolate truffle something.”
I took a bite. It actually was good. I nodded at Spencer in agreement. Spencer went to speak with the baker and I sat down on one of the cushioned couches with Valerie. I took another bite of cake while she eyed me.
“Yes?” I asked with a smile.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Valerie pouted.
“Which one?”
“Are you and my daddy boyfriends? He’s been real sad and lonely a lot.”
I choked on my piece of cake.
“How old are you?” I asked, wiping my mouth.
“I’m eight. I want my daddy to be happy.” Valerie gripped her hands together and fidgeted.
I looked up to see Spencer approaching us and let out a sigh of relief. I didn’t know how to deal with kids; I’d never been around any before. Valerie seemed to be teetering on the couch and I looked closer at the plate of cake samples.
“Do any of these have alcohol in them?” I asked the baker.
“Why yes, there is a rum cake,” she responded.
My eyes flew to Spencer’s. “Oh no.”
“Valerie?” Spencer picked his daughter up. “Did you eat the funny tasting cake?”
“Uh huh.” Valerie licked her lips. “It was good. You should get that one for the funny talking man.”
“Crap,” Spencer sighed.
“Crap!” Valerie giggled hysterically.
“Maybe you should get her home?” I offered.
“Oh, you’re coming with, Blaine.” Spencer narrowed his eyes at me.
“Me, why?”
“I told you not to feed her sugar.”
I stood up and grabbed my jacket. Spencer put his hand out motioning for me to go.
Crap.

I peeked around the wall and tried to figure out where the next lethal shot would be coming from. I’d already gotten my ass kicked in ‘Mario Cart’ by an eight year old. I was feeling old. A Nerf dart whizzed by me and I leapt out from my hiding spot, rolling behind the couch. A giggle reverberated around the spacious living room and I crawled to the end of the couch. Spencer sat in his recliner with a crossword puzzle. I cleared my throat and raised my brows at him.

“Some help here?” I whispered.
“Nope. You’re on your own, McKlintock. Punishment for the sugar rush and impending hangover you gave my daughter.” Spencer grinned at me with a wink.
“I didn’t know it had rum in it!” I whispered louder.
“But you knew about the sugar.” Spencer looked at his watch. “She should be hitting rock bottom within the hour.”
I sighed in exasperation. We’d spent the bulk of the day dragging Valerie through Central Park, got her lunch and took her ice skating. The child was like an Energizer bunny. If only I had that much energy. Now I was here fighting for my life and being hunted by an eight-year

old. Why couldn’t I just say ‘no’ to Spencer? I yelped as a dart hit me in the ass. I turned to find Valerie grinning at me with her Nerf gun pointed at me.

Valerie grabbed my hand and tried dragging me across the floor. I could barely lift my head much less

move a leg. I ended up crawling on my hands and knees around the couch then hauling myself up on it. It was suede and soft and I grabbed one of the throw pillows as Valerie grabbed the remote.

“Let’s watch
Pirates of the Caribbean
!” Valerie all but squealed.
Spencer chuckled and I eyed him warily. Valerie started the movie and I vaguely remembered watching it a while back. I had a thing for Orlando Bloom.
I swear I shut my eyes for a minute, when I opened them; Spencer was lifting a sleeping Valerie from my arms. I sat up and stretched out my arms and back.
“What time is it?” I whispered.
“Almost eleven.”
Spencer left the room with his daughter and I looked around for my shoes and jacket. I threw my shoes on and looked around the apartment. I realized Spencer’s place was homey. Warm browns and tans throughout the living room were accentuated by a blue area rug and light blue throw pillows.
My mouth felt full of cotton and I hunted out the kitchen. I found a bottle of water in the fridge and shut it, looking around. It screamed a man’s kitchen. Dark red cherry cabinets with stainless steel everywhere. An island separated the dining room and pots and pans dangled above it. I actually liked it.
A lot.
“Why don’t you stay?”
I jumped at Spencer’s deep voice behind me and backed into the counter.
“Oh, well, I shouldn’t. I have work in the morning.”
“You can go in late, can’t you?” Spencer raised his brows at me.
A devilish grinned lifted his beautiful lips and I licked my own. My cock was taking notice of Spencer’s close proximity and I tried to hide it.
I looked around the kitchen nervously. “Well, still need to go in and get some work done. I should, I have this, um, thing I have to do.”
“Do I make you nervous, Blaine?”
“What?” My eyes snapped back to Spencer — who had gotten a lot closer somehow. “No, not nervous. Just busy you know? Work, work, work!” I forced a laugh and tried to side step Spencer — who put an arm out on the counter behind me to stop me.
“I think I do.” Spencer dropped his other hand on the other side of me. Blocking me in.
“That’s ridiculous!” I scoffed.
“Is it?” Spencer pressed his body against mine. “You never even brought up our kiss this afternoon.”
I tried to move, but Spencer had me pinned.
“Do you always do that in front of your daughter?”
“Valerie is a lot smarter than you think. I told her we were working on a surprise for the funny talking British guy.” Spencer eyed my lips. “Although convincing Terry we were together wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.” Spencer moved his knee between my thighs. “Why do I make you nervous?”
“I told you—”
My next thoughts were cut off as Spencer’s mouth closed over mine. My head was swimming and I swore a soft moan left my throat. His warm lips glided over my own and his tongue teased me, flicking at the corner of my mouth. My dick was so hard I could knock out Morse code with it. My brain finally took over and I pushed Spencer away. I gasped and looked at his eyes. I swear there was laughter in them.
“Get your jollies?” I sneered, grabbing my jacket. I stomped through Spencer’s living room to the front door.
“What’s wrong, Blaine?” Spencer leaned against the wall.
“I don’t find this funny!” I pointed at Spencer. “I get you don’t like me, but fucking with my head? That’s just beneath you.” I swung the door open and glared at Spencer. “Goodnight!”
God I couldn’t run fast enough. I felt like shit. First off, my stupid ass had responded to the kiss. Second? My stupid ass had responded to the kiss! I hailed a cab and was thankful Spencer hadn’t followed me out. By the time I got home it was nearing midnight and I fell into bed exhausted and pissed. What the hell was that all about? Spencer Cassidy was straight!
Damn he was a good kisser. Even if I still had the brain cells to keep my mouth shut, the simple pressure of Spencer’s lips on mine had been enough. I sighed and looked at my cock. Even it looked sad we’d left.
“Oh shut up.”

I woke up to ‘Sponge Bob’ and Valerie eating cereal next to me. I looked over at the nightstand clock to see it was eight in the morning. I stretched out and poked Valerie in her ribs, eliciting a tiny giggle from my daughter.

“Hey you, what time did you get up?” I asked, twirling her curls around my finger.
“Six! The garbage man came.” Valerie turned to look at me with a wide smile. “Where’s Blaine?”
“He went home, why?” I sat up on my elbow and searched her face.
“He was so much fun, Daddy! I’ve never had that much fun at Mommy’s house. Can’t I just stay here for Christmas?”
My heart sank. I knew I was going to have to take her back to Vanessa’s parents’ house. No need to give Vanessa any ammunition against me. A thought occurred to me and I looked at my daughter. I wasn’t the one who talked shit about Vanessa to her, but Vanessa sure made it a point to talk shit about me.
“You said your mom went to the Bahamas?”
Valerie nodded all while stuffing another spoonful of cereal in her mouth.
“She said it was a last minute thing.”
I sighed and fell back onto the bed. Leave it to Vanessa to not let me have my daughter, but then leave. I closed my eyes and thought about Blaine. Damn but he had some soft lips, and when he responded last night? I haven’t been that hard since…well shit, I don’t know when. Watching Blaine and my daughter yesterday had given me a whole new insight into Blaine. It was becoming clear that Kent Samson hadn’t been the only one hiding behind a mask. Blaine had laughed more than once yesterday while Valerie was hunting him in my living room, not to mention his behavior at the park and the skating rink. He had doted on Valerie even when he thought I wasn’t looking.
“Daddy?”
I opened my eyes. Valerie was leaned over me smiling.
“Yes?”
“Can’t I stay here? I promise I’ll be good.”
“Oh Valerie,” I said, taking her in my arms. The cereal bowl fell between us and cold milk seeped into my shirt.
“Oops! I’m sorry.” Valerie grabbed her bowl.
“Just leave it; it’s not going to kill me. Now give Daddy a big, huge hug and then get in the shower, okay?”
“Can you talk to Nana and Grampie? I wanna stay here, Daddy.”
I sighed and took her face in my hands. “I’ll try.”

I pulled into the driveway of Vanessa’s parents’ house two hours later. Trudy and Malcolm Munson stood by the garage door with their arms crossed. I helped Valerie out of her seat belt and then we made our way up the walk. Trudy put her arms out to Valerie.

“Obviously, Valerie would like to spend Christmas with me this year. And since it’s been three years since the last time, I’d appreciate it if I could just take her home with me.”

“Now look here, Spencer,” Malcolm started. “I know you and my daughter are divorced, but there’s a custody agreement between the two of you. She said you had Valerie last year.”

“Well, Vanessa made it clear you had her last year, so this was her year.”
“Oh yes, that’s right. It’s her year is it? Then where is she?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“She said she’d be back by Christmas day,” Trudy informed me. “Now, we don’t want problems, Spencer. If you want, you can come by on Christmas Eve and spend some time with Valerie.”
“Daddy,” Valerie whispered.
I knelt down and looked in my daughter’s eyes. Getting into a fight with my ex in-laws was not something I wanted to do in front of my daughter. I sighed and held her close.
“I’ll come see you for Christmas Eve. I promise.”
Valerie sniffled in my shirt and I felt my own eyes pooling. God I hated this.
“You’ll see your daddy soon, Valerie. Come on now.”
I stood and watched Trudy take my daughter’s hand and lead her away. Malcolm was scowling at me. I waited for the door to shut before I turned on him.
“You had no problems taking my money when you needed it, Malcolm. You couldn’t even grant me Christmas with my daughter?” Malcolm opened his mouth and I put my hand up. “Save it.”
I stalked back to my car and slammed the door. Peeling out of the driveway, I heard my cell phone chime. I looked at the caller ID. Blaine. I set the phone on speaker as I got back on the highway.
“Hey. I didn’t think I’d hear from you,” I said.
“Meet me over by the skating rink at five, okay? Kent called, he’s going to propose tonight and he needs us nearby in case Terry says yes. I guess we’re going out for drinks later.”
“In
case
Terry says yes?” I snorted.
“That’s what I said, but Kent’s a nervous wreck.”
“Okay, I’ll be there. Oh, wait, Blaine?”
“Yes?”
“Look, about last night—”
“We have to work together, so let’s just forget about it, okay? I’ll see you at five.”
The line clicked and I gripped the steering wheel harder. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I knew why I’d kissed Blaine last night. Because the first kiss I’d given him in haste had done something to me. I wanted to know if it was a fluke. My hard-on last night said not. I stopped in at Cassidy’s because, well, it’s my place. Drakon was behind the front counter and smiled when I walked in.
“Hey, how’s Terry doing in my stead?” I grinned.
“He’s whipping me,” Drakon pouted. “And sometimes, he takes hot wax to my nipples.”
“You wish!” Terry shouted from in back.
I chuckled and made my way back to my office. Terry was seated behind my desk, pencil in his hand and serious ‘work face’ on. I flopped down on the couch. How weird was it to be the one on the couch instead of the chair? I let out a heavy sigh and stared at the ceiling.
“Can I ask you something?” I said, threading my fingers together behind my head.
“If it doesn’t go away with a cream, go to the doctor,” Terry snickered as he scribbled.
“Ha, ha. I’m serious.”
Terry turned around in the chair and regarded me thoughtfully.
“Does it have to do with Blaine? Because I have to say, I’m surprised.”
“Why? Because it’s Blaine?”
“Yes and no.” Terry grinned mischievously.
I sighed heavily.
“I played around in college, before Vanessa that is. I figured out pretty fast that I like pretty men.”
“Twinks,” Terry said sagely, with a nod.
“I guess. Anyway, it never got to the penetration stage, but I knew I liked it at least a little bit. Then Vanessa came along and well, once she got pregnant I knew I was supposed to take care of her. I love Valerie more than my own life and I wouldn’t trade her for anything, but I’m starting to realize that I like men more than women, I think.”
“You like Blaine more,” Terry pointed out. “There are tons of hot guys in the city, but you chose Blaine. I wouldn’t call him a twink, but he
is
pretty.” Terry grinned at me.
“I just…” I ran my hands over my face.
“Don’t hurt him, Spence.” Terry rolled the chair closer to me. “He’s got a crush on you; both Kent and I have noticed the way he looks at you. So, if this is some kind of experiment, don’t do it with Blaine.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I felt something when I kissed him.”
“How long have you two been dating? Because I have to say, it sure as hell shocked the shit out of me when you kissed him.”
Shit. Maybe talking to Terry wasn’t such a good idea. I scrambled to throw him off track.
“Hey, how was the lunch with my mom?” I asked.
Terry’s face broke out in a huge grin. Ever since the New York Times had outed Terry and Kent as a couple, Terry was being recognized more and more. My mother had begged to be introduced and I couldn’t say no. They had gotten along from the get go. My mother had complimented Terry on the wedding he’d thrown for Kent’s secretary, Anna.
Anna’s parents didn’t have the money for a wedding planner so Terry had taken on the task. Since he was from an influential British family he’d attended more than one wedding and had paid close attention to detail. It had worked out in Anna’s favor. Terry’s grin disappeared and a scowl replaced it.
“Stop trying to change the subject.”
I looked at my watch and stood up quickly. “I have to go. My brother’s in town and I need to be at my parents’ house.”
Terry stood up and tilted his head looking at me. “You know, I always wondered.”
“What?”
“If maybe you were bi.”
“Why?”
“No straight man wants to hear about a gay man’s date, Spencer.” Terry grinned at me.
I narrowed my eyes at him and walked to the door.
“Do I get to meet your brother?” Terry called after me.
“Oh God no!” I laughed.