Some Like It Rough [The Gentlemen's Club 2] (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove) by Gale Stanley

Author:Gale Stanley
Language: eng
Format: EPUB, mobi
Tags: Romance
Published: 2013-03-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

St Clair stayed for one drink and then left Richard and Julian to their meal. The floodgates had been opened, and Richard talked about his deceased lover.

“Everything changed when I lost Tony. I couldn’t believe he’d died. How could he be gone when I could still smell him everywhere? His scent lingered like a ghost. Everyone told me to move, but I couldn’t do it. Maybe I should have. The condo, the office, and the places we’d visited together—they all looked the same—but they weren’t. Without Tony life lost its allure. Part of me died with him, the best part. I don’t know what I would have done without St Clair.”

Julian became more and more upset. It was common knowledge that Richard had had a longtime partner, but Julian hadn’t known that Richard still grieved for the man. After all, Tony had died five years ago after a long bout with cancer. It was only natural to assume that Richard had moved on. He hadn’t. Richard admitted Tony’s death had left a huge void in his life.

Finding out how much he reminded Richard of Tony threw Julian for a loop. It explained why Richard had been reluctant to get involved, but now that they were involved, Julian wondered why.

Does he want me or a Tony clone?

At one time Julian would have been willing to take Richard any way he could get him. Now he wasn’t so sure. Tony had left some pretty big shoes to fill. Julian wasn’t sure he was up to the task. He wanted to be loved for himself, not because he looked like another man.

“Julian?” Richard put a hand on his arm.

“Oh, sorry.” Julian smiled. “Must be the champagne.”

“Good thing I’m driving then.” Richard smiled back at him. “You ready to go?”

“Sure.”

They were going back to Richard’s condo to finish what they’d started in the conference room. Julian should have been ecstatic at the unexpected invitation. Instead, he felt nervous.

“You okay?” Richard asked as they headed for the car.

“Yeah, fine. Just not used to drinking so early in the day.”

Julian was quiet on the drive to Richard’s home. He leaned his head back on the car seat and tried to revive his earlier mood. By the time they pulled into the garage, he felt better. They got out of the Caddy, and a private elevator, with key access, whisked them to the top floor. The doors slid open silently, and Julian entered another world—one with fancy wallpaper and marble floors—and that was just the foyer. Suddenly, Julian’s nerves came back full force.

I’m way out of my league here.

The double-height living room and dining room with large expanses of windows gave the space a wide, airy feeling. Julian glanced around at the imposing space and took in the modern furnishings, hardwood floors, and oriental rugs. Richard’s home looked like something out of Architectural Digest.

“Maybe we should do this another time,” Julian said.

“Why?” Richard looked suddenly hurt, and then understanding crept over his face. “Is it the condo? You’re stereotyping me, just like you thought I was doing to you.

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