[manhatten men 2] A Marrying Man (7 page)

“I would love to take you out. Think about it,” Slater said huskily.
I had to laugh; Casper didn’t even look up from his desk. He waved his hand in the air.
“Please don’t waste your breath; you’ll need it later to blow up your date,” he deadpanned.
Slater laughed so loud I almost fell backwards.
“Oh I like him.” Slater grinned. “Think about it and get back to me.”
“Yes, well, let’s go.” I pulled Slater by his jacket sleeve. We walked to the elevator and I heard Casper’s voice float down the hall.
“I’ve thought about it. It’s still no.”
Slater chuckled and looked at me with a wry grin. “I’ll wear him down.”
“Hey, Captain America — watch your six when you go back,” Casper called out.
Slater stiffened next to me and the elevator doors opened.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means watch your back,” Slater said, and then stepped on.

Lunch with Slater was actually fun. We bought pizza and then ate it in the park. He had a flirtatious nature, but kept it in as we ate. I actually liked him and laughed on more than one occasion. It was obvious how much he loved his brother. I got the whole story on his entrance into the military and the fight between him and Spencer over Ranger school. Slater had been deployed twice to Iraq — one of the reasons Spencer had balked at him joining the military, then going Ranger.

“So,” Slater sipped his soda. “Why are you not taken?”
“I don’t want to be?”
Slater sat back on the bench and eyed me slowly.
“That’s a lie,” he said. “I think you want to be loved more than anything. You grew up in a nice expensive house, but didn’t get the attention you needed growing up. You used money as a way of making yourself happy, and then you got bored with that, too. You want something more, and you don’t know how to get it. You’re lonely, too.”
“Anything else?” I snorted.
“I think you have a thing for Spencer.”
I almost choked on my pizza crust. “W-what?!”
“I saw the way you looked at him. You are normally so in control of everything around you — your job, your non-existent love life, Spencer throws you off balance in every way.” Slater grinned and popped a piece of sausage in his mouth. “I think you absolutely love it, too.”
“Why is that?” I asked. This was starting to get very interesting. Why pay a shrink when Slater could tell me what was wrong with me for free?
“Because you can’t control
him
. He’s a wild card in your life; he makes you feel something you haven’t felt in a long time.”
“And that would be?” I held my breath as if Slater was going to tell me who shot JFK.
“Passion.”
That caught me off guard. I sat back on the bench and thought about that one. In all my sexcapades, had I ever felt true passion with someone? I couldn’t think of one person who made me as nervous, or as turned on, as Spencer did. And we hadn’t even had sex.
“I’m right, aren’t I?” Slater smiled and bit into his pizza.
I opened my mouth to speak when Porsche’s voice sliced through the air. Even the pigeons took off.
“Blaine? Is that you?” she shrilled.
I groaned and shot a look at Slater. He was smiling from ear to ear. I nudged him and shook my head no. “It is you!” Porsche practically screamed.
I turned around and tried my best to smile. “Hello, Porsche. How are you?”
“Why haven’t you called me back? And who is that?” Porsche pointed to Slater, licking her lips.
“Slater Cassidy, Porsche Montclair.” I waved my hand between them.
“Are those real?” Slater pointed to Porsche’s breasts.
Porsche made a face I’d never seen before — like she ate something really sour.
“Excuse me?” Porsche sneered.
Slater eyed Porsche from head to toe. “If they’re not, I could still work with you, as long as the curtains match the drapes.”
I coughed on that one. I’d seen the curtain and the drapes and they did not match.
“Why you —” Porsche started.
“So!” I said, standing up and taking Porsche aside. “What do you want, Porsche?”
“I was just wondering if you were free this weekend. Maybe we could get together. You know, like old times?”
Yes, I did know. I was not going back there either.
“I’m going to be really busy over the next few weeks, Porsche. Besides, we’ve been over for months. Did your new guy find someone else?”
“He’s got a crush on someone anyway!” Slater called out.
I sighed in frustration and looked over my shoulder. “Really?”
Slater shrugged and popped another piece of sausage in his mouth.
“Look,” I said, turning my attention back to Porsche. “I will still be your friend, but whatever happened between us is not going to happen again. Okay?”
Porsche mumbled something under her breath and walked away from me. I let out a huge sigh of relief and turned back to find Slater smiling like a maniac.
“What?” I asked.
“Yeah, you like Spencer.”
Ugh.

I got a firm handshake and a hug from Slater along with a thank you for having lunch with him. All in all, it had been a weird, yet eye-opening afternoon.

By five I was exhausted and ready to fall asleep standing up. I still had to go home and change and then head out to Staten Island for dinner. The cab dropped me off in front of my building and my mouth dropped open. Valerie Cassidy was sitting on the steps to my building.

“Valerie?” I said, running to her.
“Hi, Blaine!” Valerie stood with a wide smile.

I came here.”
“How did you find me?” I pulled my phone out of
my pocket. Spencer was going to have a coronary. “I googled you.” Valerie grinned. “There was a
picture of you in front of this building and it said ‘One of
New York’s most edible bachelors.’”
Jesus. When had eight-year-olds gotten so smart? “That’s eligible, Valerie,” I said, hiding my smile. “Oh,” Valerie tilted her head to the side. “That makes
more sense.”
Valerie eyed me closely.
“I take after my daddy. My grandma says I’m
gifted.”
“I’m going to believe that,” I said. “Um, listen, I
have to call your father, okay? He’s going to freak out.”

Just as I had ended my sentence, my phone chimed. Spencer was calling me. I hit ‘talk’ and got a very worried and almost shouting Spencer.

“She’s with me, Spencer.” I said. “She took a cab to your place but you weren’t home. So she found me instead.” I stopped and looked down at Valerie. “How did you know to call me?” I asked Spencer.

I smiled and crouched down to Valerie. “Oh she does, does she?”
“Yes, she does. Are you home?”
“I am. I’m actually headed out to Staten Island for dinner with my mother.”
“I want to go to dinner!” Valerie hopped up and down.
“Look, I’ll be there in about twenty minutes, okay? Can you please keep an eye on her?”
I smiled at Valerie and winked. “Sure. We can play in my empty apartment.”

Valerie ran through my apartment. Her voice echoed off my bare floors and walls. It still didn’t feel like mine after five years of living there. I grabbed two waters out the fridge and Valerie plopped down on the living room floor.

“Yes,” I nodded. “I’m having Terry help me redecorate it.”
“The funny talking guy.”
“Yes, him.” I grinned.
“Are you lonely, too?” Valerie looked around slowly. “You seem lonely. Like my daddy.”
“I work a lot and that keeps me busy,” I said.
“What do you do?”
“I come up with ideas to sell stuff for companies. Right now, I have to make one up for a very fast car.”
“Hmm.” Valerie looked around at the bare walls. “That doesn’t tell me if you’re lonely.”
I opened my mouth to speak when the buzzer went off in my apartment. I almost sighed in relief and hit the intercom for downstairs.
“We’ll be right down.”
Valerie grabbed her little backpack and we stepped onto the elevator. I didn’t know if I could look Spencer in the eyes at this point after our last confrontation. Valerie’s hand slid into mine and I looked down at her. She was smiling from ear to ear. I had never spent so much time with a child before. It was weird.
“So? Can Daddy and I go to dinner with you?”
“I’m not sure he’ll want to go. I can call my mother and ask; I’m sure she’ll say yes.”

Spencer was pacing the sidewalk as we exited the building. He ran to Valerie and picked her up.
“Why do you keep running away! This isn’t safe for you, Valerie! How did you get here?”
“I took a cab again.” Valerie smiled.
“How did you pay for it this time?” Spencer frowned.
“I took
a lot
of money from Mommy.”
I chuckled and Spencer looked over at me.
“Thank you, Blaine, for watching out for her.”
“Blaine says we can go to dinner with him!” Valerie bounced up and down in Spencer’s arms.
“Oh Valerie, we don’t want to impose —”
“Oh trust me, my mother won’t mind,” I said, pulling my phone out. I dialed my mother. She picked up on the second ring.
“Are you on your way, Blaine?”
“I am leaving now. Is it all right if I bring two guests?”
“That’s fine, sweetie! I’d love the company,” my mother said.
She sounded almost sober. Hopefully bringing guests with me would ensure her behavior.
“Okay, see you soon!’ I said and hung up. Spencer was crouched by Valerie watching my face. “She said she’d love company.”
“Can you watch Valerie for one moment? I have to call her grandparents and let them know she’s safe.”
“I don’t want to go back there!” Valerie almost screamed. “I wanna be with you, Daddy!”
I almost covered my ears. Almost. Valerie began sobbing hysterically and I waved Spencer off to go make his phone call. I gathered Valerie up in my arms and held her. Her little body shuddered in my arms and I felt her sadness wash over me. I soothed her best I could and she pulled away, slightly sniffling.
“Feel better?” I asked, taking a handkerchief from my jacket pocket and offering it to her.
Valerie nodded slowly. “I don’t want to be with them for Christmas. Last year I went to the Bahamas with my mommy.”
“Well that must have been fun.”
“No. I hardly saw my mommy at all. I was with the nanny all the time. Mommy was with Edmund.”
Edmund? Who the fuck was Edmund?
“He’s my mommy’s boyfriend,” Valerie provided.
“Is he nice?” I asked.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t talk to me much.”
I could hear Spencer arguing a little ways down from me. I heard a few curse words and then he was heading back towards us, placing his phone in his pocket.
“So, am I driving?” Spencer asked.
“If you don’t mind,” I said, setting Valerie back down on the sidewalk. She immediately gripped my hand.
“Well, let’s get in and go then.” Spencer smiled at our joined hands.

The car ride was quiet on my end. I only spoke when spoken to. I felt…weird? Riding in Spencer’s car with his daughter, it almost felt as if we were a family going to the in-laws for dinner.
Freaky.
I instructed Spencer where to turn, and then we were

going up my parent’s long-ass driveway. Their house sat right next to the water. I saw the construction crew wrapping things up for the day. The pool was being dug already. Money had a way of making things happen fast.

Spencer parked in the looped driveway and we all exited the car. My mother stood on the front steps of the house, smiling. I waved and her facial expression went from happy to surprised-happy when Valerie shot out from behind me.

“Well look at you!” My mother smiled wide. “Aren’t you just a beautiful little girl?”
“Thank you.” Valerie smiled shyly.
My mother looked back up at me and then her gaze settled on Spencer. Recognition flashed in her eyes and she smiled broadly.
“Well my, my, if it isn’t Spencer Cassidy. I haven’t seen you in years.” My mother extended her hand.
“Mrs. McKlintock. You haven’t aged a day,” Spencer said smoothly, shaking my mother’s hand.
I almost snorted, but held it in.
“Obviously you know Spencer,” I said. “This is his daughter, Valerie. Valerie, this is my mother, Eleanor.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Valerie put her hand out to my mother.
“You as well young lady. It’s going to be so nice having another girl around.”
“How’s the pool coming along, Mom? Any problems?”
“Oh heavens no! I love all the construction men. I went shopping just the other day with Peter.”
“Excuse me?” I blinked.
“Oh yes! He told me I needed to get out of my chiffon and go crazy!” my mother laughed.
I sighed. Leave it to my mother to find the only gay construction worker to bond with.
“Well come inside! I’ve got pot roast cooking!”
My mother seemed almost chipper. I wondered what bottle of anti-depressants she’d fallen into. She certainly wasn’t banging the gay, chiffon-hating pool man.

I was having that feeling again at the dinner table as we ate. Spencer was talking to my mother about his drop out of the Stock Exchange world and Valerie was telling her all about school and her favorite teachers. We felt like family and it was seriously creeping me out.

I was daydreaming about being Spencer’s partner when I got an elbow to my ribs. I looked over at Valerie and smiled.

“What is it?” I asked.
“You are staring at my daddy,” Valerie whispered. “I am?” I whispered back.
Valerie giggled with a nod.
“Valerie, do you like dolls?” my mother asked. “She loves dolls, don’t you honey?” Spencer

answered.
“I do!” Valerie squealed.
“I have a whole collection of dolls from when I was a

little girl. Would you like to see them?” I’d seen her collection before. I shivered. I swore their eyes followed me everywhere.

Valerie nodded enthusiastically and my mother stood up from the table. Spencer and I stood up with her and she excused herself, taking Valerie with her. Spencer looked over at me with a sly grin and I shifted uncomfortably.

“Yes?” I asked.
“Do you have a scanner?”
Huh? What the hell? Were we going to scan our asses

on it?
“Yes, my father has a scanner/fax/copier in his
office. Why?”
“I need to send these visitation papers to Vanessa’s
parents. I told them on the phone that I was not bringing
her back and any attempt they made to remove her from
me would be met with resistance.”
I put my napkin down and started walking. “Follow
me.”

My father’s office screamed ‘I have a huge cock’. A very large oak desk sat in the middle of it with bookcases on every wall—along with his hunting conquests. Spencer’s nose twitched at the dead animal heads that adorned the wall. A very large bearskin rug occupied the space by the fireplace in the corner. I walked to the copier/scanner/fax machine and gestured to it.