RAIN POURED DOWN as the Sprinter van pulled off Fiftieth Street and into the porte-cochère of the Towers of the Waldorf Astoria later that evening. The rest of the guys had already gotten a ride back earlier, but I’d met up with my grandmother for dinner.
Without waiting for Scotty to get out of the van, I pulled open the door and jumped out. “Thanks, Scotty. Have a good one.”
An exasperated sigh left his lips. “Mr. LaRue, I’m supposed to get that for you.”
“If anyone asks, we’ll pretend you did.” I shut the door and grinned at the valet standing by the entrance. “You didn’t see that.”
“See what, sir?”
“Good man.” He met my fist bump, and I strolled past him, the glossy black and white striped walls of the entrance immediately feeling like home, as strange as some found it. I thought back to JT’s face when I told him where I lived and the utter shock he expressed that anyone would live in a place like this. Maybe it was a little extravagant, but I’d never known anything else.
How was that for sounding like an out-of-touch asshole?
As I crossed the shiny black and gold floors that led to the lobby, Sofia’s bright smile greeted me from behind the reception desk.
“Good evening, Mr. LaRue. How was your first day back?”
JT’s curls falling over his forehead flitted through my mind, and I grinned. “Entirely unexpected. You?”
“It’s been a quiet day, but I can’t complain.”
“Quiet? Did the terrors known as my friends not come through?”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t raining earlier.”
Meaning they’d entered through the Park Avenue entrance and given poor Sofia a break.
“Lucky you. And by the way…” I held up a bottle of Cristal Rosé tied in a bright pink ribbon. “Happy birthday week.”
Sofia’s eyes widened. “No way. For me?”
“Of course for you. You put up with us.”
“I can’t accept that.”
“And I won’t drink it.” I shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to keep it.”
“This is too much,” she said, carefully taking the bottle like it was a precious jewel. “Thank you so much. And for remembering. You know you’re my favorite.”
I shot her a wink as another resident made his way up to the desk to vie for her attention. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say. Enjoy it.”
“I will.” She hugged the bottle to her chest before putting it away and greeting the other resident with slightly less enthusiasm.
I gave a cursory glance at the towering columns of the marble lobby, which was currently empty, and headed for the elevators. One of my favorite things about the place was the style, a mix of modern with a nod to French Art Deco that screamed opulence, but with a vintage feel. Was it unusual for a handful of college-aged guys to commandeer a place in a building like this? A thousand percent. But with my parents’ ties to the adjacent hotel and the insistence of several extremely vocal parents in the Elysium, the social club they all belonged to that practically ran the city, it was all but assured their sons would live in the finest building Manhattan had to offer.
The only downside, if you could call it that, was that we shared a roommate, but with each residence as large as they were, that was hardly an issue. Not to mention East would’ve been up in my space whether or not we lived together, so it actually worked out well.
Stepping into the entry foyer of the residence I shared with East, I tossed my wallet on the narrow table that lined one side of the hall and my jacket over the bench seat that sat opposite it.
The curtains of the living room had been left open, showcasing the sparkling lights of the city, and I wandered inside, seeking out my friend. East wasn’t anywhere to be found in the dimly lit seating area, but the sound of the ice machine on our fridge alerted me to where he was.
I headed through the dining room and spotted East standing in the kitchen vigorously mixing his cocktail in a shaker.
“Bourbon or martini, dear?”
I snorted as I made my way over and pointed to the bottle of bourbon. “I’ll take one of those, thanks.”
East poured himself his usual martini and then handed me a glass tumbler. “You’re later than I expected.”
“I’m sorry, dear. I got held up. What are you, my fucking wife now?”
East walked to the living room and took a seat in the velvety accent chair, where he rested his arms along the wooden frame and crossed one leg over the other.
“In your dreams. But somehow, I don’t think you’d be able to keep up with me.”
I took a sip of the bourbon and sat down on the sofa opposite him. “More like I don’t want to have to keep up with you. You’re too high maintenance.”
“Says the man who just came home to his private residence at the Waldorf.” East arched an eyebrow. “One of these days, West, you’re going to realize you’re just as high maintenance as the rest of us. Even with that charming smile and polite way you have about you.”
“Is that right?”
“It is. Are you or are you not the man who laid down a bet that would win him an extravagant, all-inclusive vacation to anywhere he desired?”
I mused over that for a second then grinned. “Yep, that was me, and guess what?”
“What?”
“I’m gonna fucking win.”
East chuckled and shook his head. “Cocky.”
“Confident. Also, charming. You just said so yourself.”
East’s lips twitched as he took another sip of his martini. “So is that where you were tonight? Out being charming?”
“Nope. I was out with my grandmother, if you must know.”
“Ah, so you were out being bored. Got it.”
“Not at all. I showed her how to Facetime with the parentals, since they’ve been in Amsterdam the past couple of months, so that was nice.”
“Nice? These are the same people who made you stay in New York this summer.”
“I know, but…” I shrugged. “Maybe I—”
“If you say deserved it, I am revoking your right to be my best friend.”
I laughed at that, because that was the last thing I’d been going to say. “Relax over there, Your Highness. I was just going to say that maybe I was a little sloppy in my execution of our…escapade, which is why I got caught. It was my own damn fault.”
East mulled over that and nodded. “Can’t fault that logic. You were particularly slow climbing out that window.”
“Hey, fuck you, I was making sure Gavin got out.”
“Still, last one out takes the fall.”
“Mhmm, I’m well aware.” I downed the rest of my drink and placed the empty tumbler on a coaster. “Speaking of deans we played a prank on, I got an introduction with her son today.”
East’s lips curved into a sly smirk. “Did you now?”
“I did.” I leaned back on the sofa, kicked my legs out, and crossed my ankles. “JT, or John Thomas if I’m feeling—”
“Cocky?”
“Confident.”
East snorted. “Same damn thing, and you know it. So… What’s he like?”
“Gorgeous, sweet, innocent.” I turned toward East and rested an arm along the back of the sofa. “And straighter than the pressed pants hanging in your closet.”
“Well, well, well, doesn’t that make this all the more delicious.”
“Don’t you mean difficult?”
“That too, but if I know you, that’s not going to stop you.”
“I respect the word no.”
“That’s assuming you know how it sounds.” East brought his glass to his lips. “Has anyone ever said no to you?”
I snickered. “Only one.”
“That’s what I thought. Shit, maybe I should up the bet, seeing as I’ve got this in the bag.”
“Your faith in me is astounding, really.”
“Sounds like an uphill battle you won’t win, and I have to say, I’m really looking forward to watching you fail.”
“This from someone who’s supposed to be my best friend?”
“That’s the reason I can give you so much shit.” East pointed to my empty glass. “Another?”
“Trying to get me drunk to take advantage of my body?”
East got to his feet and bit down on his lip as his eyes roved over me, but then he shook his head. “As tempting as that offer should be, it didn’t work out so well for us before, did it?”
“Hey, I wasn’t offering, jackass.”
“You did back then. Hmm, I kind of like being the only person to say no to you. Makes me feel…powerful.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was ten too many shots of bourbon and a raging hard-on. It had nothing to do with you.”
“Keep telling yourself that, dear.”
“You’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?”
“No,” he called out over his shoulder as he poured another glass.
“That’s the last damn ‘no’ I’ll be hearing. The next words out of your mouth will be ‘West, where in the world would you like my private jet to fly you?’”
East leaned back against the marble countertop, mischief sparking his eyes, as always. “So what’s this master plan of yours to win this guy over?”
“Like I’d give away my secrets.”
“Oh, right, let me guess.” He sipped his drink as he crossed back into the living room. “You plan to hide your devious side and rely on the good-guy, lovable aspect of your personality. Befriend JT, make him feel safe, and then act surprised when the sexual tension is too much.”
It was a shame the asshole knew me so well. “Maybe you should just watch and find out.”
“I will. But can you make it quick? I don’t have the best attention span.”
“Do you say that to all the guys you bring home?”
A snorting laugh escaped him as he fell back into the velvet chair. “There’s a reason they never stay the night.”
“Speaking of, you heading out later?”
“Thinkin’ about it. Wanna come with?”
Normally I’d jump at the chance to go out at any opportunity, but it’d been a long day. Besides, I needed to figure out when to make my next move with JT. “I’ll pass.”
East’s brows shot up. “Seriously? You lame-ass.”
“It wouldn’t kill you to have a down night every once in a while.”
“And let down my audience of adoring fans? I could never.”
Yawning, I stretched my arms up overhead, and then cracked my neck from side to side.
“All right, I’m out. I’ve got a class schedule to memorize, and I don’t mean my own.”
East eyed me with a shit-eating grin as I headed to my room. “Good luck with that.”
“I don’t need luck.”
Behind me, I heard him scoff. “Consider this bet mine, playboy.”
