Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 123877 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123877 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
A drunk Beckett had been a fun guy. Beckett had been more open to the possibility tonight, and the club responded in kind. Julian had enjoyed watching Beckett dance with Quinn. When Quinn made a blatant advance, Beckett, in his kind nature, gently rebuked him before the waiter ever got his offer fully out of his mouth. Julian had wondered if Beckett had even realized Quinn was making a play. He suspected so. He was just a one-man kind of guy, and at the present, his sights were set on Julian. The sincerity of such a thought hugged him like a warm blanket.
“He’s not for you, dipshit.” And he wasn’t. Beckett wasn’t for him.
Julian couldn’t think of any scenario where he and Beckett could cohabitate together as anything more than friends. Relationships got complicated. Beckett seemed like a really nice guy. And nice guys didn’t take escorts home to meet the parents. Beckett deserved more than what Julian could offer, and his future plans were a tossup at the moment. Julian wanted his old life back. More than anything, Julian wanted to be the man he used to be. If he were half as good a man as Beckett, he’d be actively searching for the perfect guy to set Beckett up with and stop leading the man on.
Beckett stood, drawing Julian’s focus back to him. He lifted his cocktail glass, draining the last of his drink before he absently discarded it to the small tabletop and grabbed his suit coat. His long stride ate up the distance to the private staircase. No matter how much Julian feigned disinterest, his heart gave an excited lurch as Beckett came for him. By God, Beckett was hellbent on becoming Julian’s knight in shining armor, and damn, if he wasn’t doing a great job.
When Beckett took the turn toward the staircase, Julian listened to the clomp of each step coming toward the office. Out of anxious necessity, Julian went behind the desk where Woofer lay sleeping. The dog opened one eye and wagged his tail one time, acknowledging Julian, but didn’t move another inch.
As Beckett turned the doorknob, Julian’s gaze riveted there. Beckett first stuck his head inside. His rumpled look, with that longer piece of hair dropping down over his forehead, and his glassy, intoxicated eyes landing on Julian, instantly eased Julian’s anxiety. He had gotten Beckett drunk. Even when Beckett had tried to scale back his drinks, Julian kept them coming, and he really liked the results. Beckett looked ten years younger and was a happy drunk.
“I wanted to walk you out,” Beckett said, pushing open the door. His southern drawl had become more pronounced as the alcohol consumption increased throughout the night.
He looked down at the thumping noise hitting against the floor at his feet. Woofer’s tail kept a steady beat, wagging after hearing Beckett’s arrival. His eyes narrowed at the animal who rarely got that excited to see Julian anymore, kind of hurting his feelings.
Julian swung his head back toward Beckett still at the door. “Go to the hotel, St. Clair. I’m good.” He had to steel his heart against Beckett’s kind gesture. In response, he did what he did best, ignored Beckett. He started counting the remainder of the cash as the overhead announcement called the club officially closed. Seconds later, bright overhead lighting lit the large main club room, ending the evening. The glare pushed into the office via the large glass panels along the far wall.
“While I’m in town, it would make me feel better if I saw you to your vehicle,” Beckett said, doing the exact opposite of what Julian had requested. He came fully into the office, closer to the desk where Julian worked.
When Beckett came to a stop, he swayed heavily on his heels. Having a drunk knight fit Julian’s life to a tee. Woofer finally lifted his head, his tail picking up its excited patter until he finally gave up on sleep and stood, shaking off the fatigue with a long yawn as he slowly trotted around the desk to see his new best friend. Beckett turned more endearing when his face lit up, seeing Woofer coming toward him. Beckett instantly bent, giving a gentle, simple command to draw the dog closer to his side—as if Woofer weren’t already headed there. Beckett reached down to give a full-body petting.
Of course, the dog was in heaven, becoming as attached to Beckett as Julian.
Julian kept counting the cash. He didn’t stop until he went through the register twice and bagged the money to make the deposit. He logged the totals and put the cash bundles inside the safe. For some reason, he trusted Beckett more than reason should allow. It never occurred to him to hide any of it from Beckett.
“Hey, boss, the bar’s closed,” Ricco said, busting through the door without knocking, stopping short when he saw Beckett who had taken a seat, his head lying against the back edge of the sofa.