A Kind of Romance (20 page)

Benny stopped when he spotted me and smiled. Fuck, he had a pretty smile. It was a subtle upturn of his mouth that quickly became an ear-to-ear, megawatt grin. It felt like a warm welcome on a chilly night. Or oddly enough… like home. Before my oddball thoughts completely freaked me out, he’d moved into my space. And clarity was no longer mine.

“What happened to your no-dancing policy?” he asked as he shimmied against my stiff body.

“It’s in full effect. I was checking on you and—what’s so funny?” I set my hands on my hips and glowered at him.

He threw his head back and laughed harder. “You. Don’t worry. We can leave soon too if that’s what you really wanted to know.”

I nodded and started to turn away, but I couldn’t leave him now.

With zero finesse, I pulled Benny toward me. He gave me a surprised look but didn’t stop moving his hips in perfect time to the beat. I decided my best bet was to copy him, so I let my arms fall to my sides and stepped to my right, then my left, and back again. Benny’s brow shot to his hairline. I didn’t think he was in awe of my skill, but at least he didn’t laugh. Yet.

“What is it you’re doing?”

“Dancing,” I yelled above the din as Jay Z took over with a rap I could certainly move to without looking like a moron.

Or maybe not. Benny shook his head slightly and grinned like a loon.

“Move your arms too. Like this.”

I tried to mimic his moves and ended up hitting the groom in the chin. He waved off my apology with a cheerful smile and then pointed to Benny, who was nearly doubled over with laughter. Normally, that was my cue to leave. I’d tried and sucked again, but this time I didn’t feel as ridiculous as I surely looked. Benny’s contagious grin made me want to keep doing whatever it was that made his eyes crinkle at the corners and twinkle with easy humor. If I was a fool for him, I decided that wasn’t such a bad thing.

I struggled through two more songs, inciting unintentional hilarity. No one seemed to mind. They cleared a space for Benny to wow with his superior skills while I bopped around him, hopelessly offbeat and out of sync. When an Ed Sheeran song brought the slow dancers onto the floor, Benny brushed his hands over mine and motioned for me to follow him. I started to, but at the last second, I pulled him flush against my chest and kissed him.

Not a peck. A statement. A “fuck you,” a “thank you,” and maybe something more than I could formulate in my head at the moment. I slid my hands over his shoulders and hugged him close as I deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue into his mouth. He tasted like champagne and frosting. Sweet and intoxicating. I didn’t resurface until I heard a catcall followed by a round of raucous applause. I chuckled when I saw we’d drawn an audience and then glanced down to gauge Benny’s reaction. He gave me a shy smile I couldn’t read. I grabbed his hand before pushing through the crowd to reach a quiet place to regroup.

“Can we get the fuck outta here now?”

“Just when I was beginning to think you might be Prince Charming after all.” His delivery was pure snark, but his twinkling eyes gave him away.

THE RIDE
back to the city was relatively peaceful. Benny seemed content to listen to music at a low volume while I maneuvered my BMW toward the Manhattan Bridge. I wasn’t brave enough to ask what he was thinking. The long day spent with family had been enlightening. And confusing.

“What happened?”

I glanced at him briefly across the darkened car interior. I couldn’t make out his facial features in the shadows, but he sounded amused. Maybe even happy.

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. Something made you get your boogie on, and while I’d like to take the credit, it wasn’t me. So who was it?”

“Of course it was you.”

“Lies.”

“Fine. It was Beyoncé,” I said blandly.

Benny chuckled merrily as he swiveled to face me. “You’re full of shit. I’ll get the real story. There’s always someone eavesdropping at a family party.”

I made a zipped-lip motion before turning up the volume as Marvin Gaye soulfully suggested we needed some “Sexual Healing.” Benny burst into a new round of laughter before raising his fist to his mouth like a microphone to sing along to the eighties classic. My smile was so wide it hurt. I didn’t get this guy, but it was hard to resist him. I joined in halfway through the song with my own pitchy rendition, only to have him howl with glee.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like sexual healing?” I asked in a lascivious tone.

“I love it. I just—” He snorted in his struggle to regain his composure and then let out a happy-sounding sigh. “You’ve got a very… original voice.”

“Original. I like that word. Makes me think you might want to hear something else. How do you feel about—?”

“No. Please. I can’t breathe yet. Damn. I can’t decide what I like more… your Snoopy dance moves or your—”

“Snoopy? Geez! I thought I was pretty good out there,” I joked. “You meant that as a compliment, right?”

“Right. And what about that kiss?”

“What about it?”

He turned in his seat and gave me a pointed stare. “You know that was my whole fucking family, right? That was quite a performance. Did you want to take out a page in the
New York Times
in the morning on the off chance somebody missed the show?”

I’d learned a couple of things about Benny over the past month or so. He had a hot-and-cold style of communication he blamed in part on his Italian heritage. The more heated he became on a topic, the more likely it was that he cared. It was the same with people. The fact he felt comfortable enough to give me a piece of his mind after I’d spent my Saturday dressed in a suit playing the part of his boyfriend meant he liked me. A lot. I wasn’t offended or taken aback in the slightest. It actually kind of turned me on. I clandestinely adjusted my cock and changed lanes.

“Relax. It was just a kiss. No reason to make big deal about it. Besides, they knew I was your date. They ought to know we might want to—”

“Stop. Don’t say anything else. You were supposed to be the guy sitting next to me in church and at dinner. Not the guy with his tongue down my throat.”

“I’m unpredictable… what can I say? And since when did you turn into a prude? Why did you ask me to come if you didn’t want them to know you might actually want to do ‘gay’ things… like I don’t know… kiss a guy?”

“They can
think
whatever the hell they want. Showing them is different.”

“Wait a second. You’re Mr. Out and Proud. You practically fart rainbows. Are you saying the people you grew up with don’t know that about you?”

“Ugh. Of course they do! They’ve just never seen actual evidence… the kind that involves physical contact with another man, anyway.”

“Is that why you freaked when I touched you in church?”

“I didn’t freak. I simply asked you not to.”

“You clawed my hand. It was pure violence.”

Benny gave a short laugh. Then he reached for my right hand and kissed it sweetly. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be. The mixed messages are messing with my head.”

“What mixed messages?”

“You held my hand after you mauled it. What was I s’posed to think?”

“The bride and groom had just been announced as Mr. and Mrs. Aiello. I was having a moment, and it didn’t matter because no one was paying attention. Kathy Tartuzzi’s hawk eyes were off us. It was safe.”

“Safe? How does someone talk such a big fucking game one minute, then act like he’s committing a crime the next? You make no sense.”

Silence.

“I know.”

So did I. Things were never simple when it came to family, I thought as I slowed the car behind a taxi on Canal Street.

He turned in his seat to face me. “I don’t like double standards. With family it’s the worst because they tell you they love you and want you to be happy… but when you do it your way, it’s not quite right. I can’t please them and please myself.” He tapped on the window. “Turn right.”

“Let me assure you from personal experience… you’ll never be able to please them. All you can do is be there when they need you, show them you care, and love them. You don’t have to explain yourself to the people who count. They’ll get you no matter what. At some point you’ve got to give yourself a break and cut your losses. Even with family. There’s no point surrounding yourself with people you share nothing more than a last name with. It’s a recipe for disaster to start thinking a bloodline equates to instant loyalty and understanding. Trust me. I know it all too well.”

“You’re right.”

“Damn, I love hearing that! Say it again,” I chided playfully, hoping to move beyond family fun.

“You’re right,” he repeated.

Miraculously, I found a parking spot across the street from his building. I pulled in and turned the engine off and then turned to Benny. I traced his jaw lightly before cupping the back of his neck to draw him closer. The feel of his breath on my lips went straight to my cock. And when he leaned in and licked the corner of my mouth, I knew I couldn’t say good-bye yet.

“Come home with me.”

“No, come upstairs.” He sealed his lips over mine and pushed his tongue inside.

I felt instantly dizzy with desire. I would have gone anywhere he suggested just then. I caressed his stubbled cheek before pulling him as close as I could in the confines of the car. When oxygen deprivation became an issue, I broke the connection.

“Lead the way.”

BENNY’S BUILDING
was a nondescript East Village walk-up. At the top of the third-floor landing, I grabbed his elbow to get his attention. “How many more floors? Maybe we should just go back to—”

He rolled his eyes and then backed me against the wall and flung his arms over my shoulders. “You’re awfully impatient.”

I adjusted my height to mold my pelvis against his to give him a better idea of how impatient I actually was. Benny’s breath hitched at the feel of my hardened shaft through our suit pants. “I’m dying here, so unless you happen to live in this stairwell, let’s get a move on. I need to feel you.”

He nodded before taking my hand and leading me down the narrow hallway to 3F. I stood behind him, unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants while he worked on the lock. By the time he had it open, I’d managed to unzip him and push his briefs over his rigid cock. He slammed the door shut and launched himself at me so quickly I stumbled back a couple steps and hit the door. Benny wasn’t deterred in the slightest. If anything, the jarring movement threw us into overdrive.

Benny flattened himself against me and fastened his mouth over mine. I caught my balance but didn’t release my hold as I slid my fingers under the elastic and kneaded his bare ass. He groaned when I pulled his cheeks apart and squeezed his perfect bubble butt. I licked his lips and then twisted my tongue with his in a sensual dance that left us both breathless. Then I slid my hand between us to grip his thick cock. He hissed with pleasure when I swiped my thumb over his leaking prick and covered him in a punishing grip. I stroked him languidly… up and down and back again, loving his sweet whimpering noises.

“I want you, Benny.”

He didn’t respond. In fact, he stopped moving and rested his forehead on my chest. I lifted his shirt and ran my fingernails down his back. Just holding him felt nice, but I wanted more skin. And I hoped like hell Benny felt the same way. When he bit my shoulder a second later, I figured I had my answer.

I winced in pain and grasped hold of his chin, staring into his eyes before tipping his head back and licking a path up his neck and along his jaw. I nibbled his earlobe and then whispered, “Now.”

Suddenly he was all movement. His fingers flew over the buttons on my shirt before dipping low to undo my belt and unzip my trousers. The first touch of his warm hand on my throbbing flesh made my head spin. I started to push him away, but he shook his head and gave me a mischievous grin before sinking to his knees, pushing the fabric down my legs to pool at my feet. He held my thick cock at the base and looked up at me briefly before swallowing me whole.

My head hit the door with a thud. Fuck, he was good at that. He alternately sucked and licked my shaft. Then he moved his fingers under my balls. I threaded my fingers through his hair but did my best not to force him forward. He didn’t have the same concerns. He twisted his grip and changed his angle slightly to take more of me at once. He sucked furiously and then backed off and stroked me before repeating. My knees bent as I struggled to widen my stance while my feet were trapped in my suit pants. I quickly became frustrated. As good as this felt, it wasn’t enough.

“Benny, stop.”

He pulled back and stared up at me with big eyes and swollen lips. “Do you really want to stop?”

“No, but I’m too close and—come here.” I helped him to his feet and pulled him against me, sighing with pleasure when his hard dick slid alongside mine. I tightened my hold and thrust my hips forward, looking for friction. Anything to get me closer to him. “God, I want you. Let me fuck you, baby.”

“Yes,” Benny said in a throaty tone. He kissed my mouth and then stepped back to remove his shirt, toe off his shoes, and step out of his pants. He set his hands on his hips and flashed a saucy grin that managed to perfectly blend humor and sex. “Get naked.”

I gulped as I took in his small, fit body and beautiful cock. “Are you keeping the socks on?”

“Only if you want me to,” he chuckled, tugging at my hand.

I let go of him so I could take off my own shoes and socks without tripping. When I stood up, I slid my shirt off my shoulders and smiled at the gorgeous man stroking himself while he waited for me. It wasn’t until he moved toward a bed in the corner of the room that I stopped to get a good look at my surroundings. What the hell? It looked like a modern-day Liberace’s boudoir.

My eyes widened when I saw the gigantic mirror on the wall next to the queen-size bed. The bed itself was made with a light silver satin comforter and piled high with twenty or more shiny decorative pillows in pinks, blues, silver, and gold. The wall next to the bed was completely covered with floor-to-ceiling ice-blue taffeta curtains. I doubted the window hiding behind the voluminous luxe fabric was quite that large, but I had to admit the mirrors and drapery made the room look bigger than it was. And that’s all this apartment was… a room. I wanted to say it was a gaudy space, but it wasn’t. It was over-the-top and ostentatious but still tasteful. Like Benny.