Page 76 of Strut

His gaze softened and he turned and kissed my palm. “You’d do that?”

“Yes.” I thumbed his cheek. “I wouldn’t want to, but I promised that you’d lead in all this and I just kind of walked all over that coming here, didn’t I? I’m sorry. And yes, I’ll walk away if that’s what you want.”

We locked eyes and he chewed on his lip for a bit. Then he sighed. “No, I want to do this. Let’s see what he says. But I’m gonna video it, okay?”

It was a great idea. “Okay. And I’ll keep my phone on record in my pocket.”

We made our way across the red brick of Bethesda Terrace and its milling crowd of tourists and locals, past the Angel of the Waters statue, and along the path through the trees toward the bridge. It wasn’t long before lighting setups, covered cables, and the crowd of people it required to run a major photoshoot became visible. The carry-in, carry-out policy of the park meant vehicles were limited to the car parks and everything that was needed had to be walked in.

There were none of the usual snack and ice cream vendors set up beside the bridge itself, but they’d parked their carts not too far away and were making the most of the new clientele and interested onlookers. Security prowled the boundaries of the shoot setup itself and stood in place to manage public traffic flow across the bridge as necessary.

And right next to the bridge itself stood Darcy fucking Fenchurch, his big frame easy to spot in a billowing peacock-blue Versace shirt and dark jeans, shouting and gesticulating to the crew setting up the shoot.

I took in the number of people and shook my head. This was no small affair. Darcy had some serious industry pull to have a magazine fork out this kind of money for a cover shoot.

Keeping to a safe distance, I steered Alec off the path, kissed him soundly on the lips, and left him standing with his phone in hand alongside a graceful American elm, its branches dripping in fall gold. Then I slowly wandered my way toward the bridge like I had all the time in the world.

A security guard tried to intercept me, but one of the wandering stylists recognised me, reassured the guard, and waved me through. Darcy was still shouting at his crew and didn’t see me until I was almost at his shoulder. But when he finally turned, his eyes widened in surprise and his mouth curved up in a huge welcoming smile.

“Hunter!” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Good to see you, man. What the fuck are you doing crashing my party? I heard you were in New York. Come to see how the real photographers do it?” He laughed and pulled me into a back-slapping hug.

It was surreal, like I’d slipped into an alternative reality where this charming, friendly manhadn’tactually sexually assaulted my damn boyfriend and had his filthy hands all over him. I dredged up a smile from somewhere and stemmed the urge to throw up all over that expensive Versace shirt.

I needed to get Darcy somewhere private, fast, before I drove him into the ground with my fist.

“Nah, I thought you might need a few tips,” I joked back, stepping out of his embrace.

Darcy barked out a laugh. “You wish.”

“You gotta minute?” I tried to sound casual. “There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

His smile faded and he glanced at the crew who were working with the power connections. Then he nodded. “Sure. We’re on a time constraint but we’re not ready yet so I can give you five minutes.”

I nodded. “Great. Can we step away?”

Now he really did look at me and wariness lashed those bright hazel eyes. “This sounds mysterious.”

I shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

Darcy hesitated, staring at me like he was trying to figure me out. Finally he nodded and told his assistant that he was taking five. I’d heard about Gary from Alec, and the young man looked at Darcy like he’d lost his mind but said nothing.

Darcy turned to me with a curious gaze. “So, why the cloak and dagger stuff?”

“Let’s take a walk.” I led him away from the set-up area to the shelter of another towering elm whose branches overhung the lake. The foliage cast a quivering bright yellow reflection in the mostly still water below. I wandered to a spot between the trunk and the bank where I was satisfied no one could hear and then turned to face him. In the background, over Darcy’s shoulder, I caught sight of Alec sitting under a tree across the path, his phone in his hand.

Darcy glanced around as if suddenly unsure. Smart man. “So, what’s this all about, Hunter?”

No point beating around the bush. I eyeballed him just to be crystal fucking clear and said, “I’m Alec Williamson’s boyfriend.”

I swear every bird in Central Park snapped its beak shut, so total was the silence that greeted those four simple words.

Darcy blanched, staring at me but saying nothing, his throat working as he swallowed hard. I’d shocked him, for sure, but he wasn’t panicking. He was thinking. And that told me everything I needed to know. Darcy wasn’t going to give me anything.

After a good fifteen seconds, his eyes narrowed, and he stood a little taller. The charming mask was gone. Jesus Christ, how had I not seen this before?

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, Hunter,” he said, his eyes darting to the activity at the bridge before landing back on me. “I imagine it’s tough to find your partner isn’t the guy you thought he was. Believe me, I’ve had a few like that myself. I commiserate.”

I lowered my voice. “Shut your fucking mouth before I do it for you, you entitled arsehole.” My fists clenched at my sides and I consciously relaxed them. “I was there that day, waiting in the foyer of your building for him to finish. I saw how he was when he came out. I know exactly who’s to blame.”

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