Page 223 of King of Pain
Ant’s eyes widen as Frank and Kathy make their way to us with Jen in tow. “I can’t believe you guys are here!” he says—a mixture of excitement and fondness in his voice.
“Are you kidding? We wouldn’t miss Chance’s big night for anything,” Kathy says warmly.
Ant greets them both with long hugs. I do the same, lifting Kathy off the ground, earning myself a laugh and a gentle back slap.
“I’m so glad you made it,” I tell them. “Do you want to tell Ant your news?”
Franks nods, a huge smile lighting up his face. “We sold Devil Records.”
Ant’s jaw drops. “What? Why?”
Frank is still beaming. “We’re retiring and moving to Hawaii!” he exclaims, pulling Kathy into his side.
Kathy reaches out and rubs Ant’s arm. “Anthony, between Vino & Vinyl and your other marketing ideas, Devil Records grew into a desirable purchase. We sold for far more than we ever thought we could get.”
“Frank and Kathy also invested in the agency,” I tell Ant.
I watch his throat working over the lump forming as his eyes start misting over. “I don’t even know what to say.”
I move in closer, my hand finding the small of his back, and I press a soft kiss to the top of his head. “A lot of people believe in this vision.”
“Damn right we do,” Frank says.
“We’re so proud of all of you,” Kathy whispers, a little choked up. “You were never employees in our eyes. We didn’t tell you, but I was not able to conceive.” She takes a deep breath, and Frank pulls her in tighter.
“What my beautiful wife is trying to say is that the three of you were the closest we ever had to having children of our own. Sure, we’ve had employees after you all left the nest, but nothing will ever compare to the originals.”
“If I cry one more time tonight, I’m going to hurt someone,” Jen says through a laugh, wiping at her eyes.
“And you two,” Kathy says, waggling two fingers at me and Ant. “We were pulling for the two of you the whole time.”
Ant’s jaw drops. “Wait. What? You knew? The whole time?”
“Uh—duh. Everyone knew,” Jen teases. Then, with a sly grin, she adds, “With the chemistry you two have… there was no hiding it. Especially your heart-shaped eyes, Anthony.”
Ant laughs. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I was a goner from the start.”
Frank chuckles. “Yes, you were.”
Kathy grabs Frank’s hand. “Let’s go get a drink, husband. Jen, join us. Let’s give these boys a minute.”
We promise to catch up with them more later tonight. Butters, Jason and Meg are deep in their own conversation off to the side.
I lean into Ant and whisper, “If all this isn’t what you want, Beautiful… if you feel pushed or pressured in any way, I can undo it. All of it. I made sure of that.”
He whips around so fast I nearly lose my balance. “What? No!”
His fingers grip the lapel of my jacket, fisting the fabric and pulling me closer. “This is the most incredible, thoughtful, sweet—and yeah, a little bit insane—thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
His mouth crashes against mine before I can say anything else. It’s not gentle. It’s not polite. It’s full of fire and that familiar need that lives in both of us. His lips part mine, and I let him take whatever he needs, my hands planted on his waist.
Somewhere in the background, Jason coughs and says, “Butters, want to get a drink?”
Ant and I break apart, catching our breath, and turn to see Meg... just staring at us, sipping her champagne.
“What?” she says, shrugging. “I like watching.”
She swipes another flute from a passing tray, gaze trailing after the server. Her eyes drop to his ass, and she smiles like a woman on a mission. “Looks like I found my distraction for the evening, fellas.”
