Trying to keep as straight a face as she could, Drew attempted to remember the last time she had to explain this to anyone. It’d been years.
“Phoenix is gay?” Putting her glass down on the table, Drew nodded, but didn’t say more. “I knew it.” Nine smiled a little too big for Drew’s comfort. “I fucking knew it! I even told O that night when I got home that, if your ex didn’t have a kid, I’d bet he was light on the loafers.”
The heat rose up Drew’s spine to her neck instantly. “Excuse me—”
“I can’t wait to tell O. I knew something was up with that fruit—”
“No.” Drew shook her head adamantly. “No. You can’t—I won’t allow you to speak of him, my daughter’s father, like that.”
“Like what? You said it yourself. He’s a fruit and he’s even in a relationship with another dude. It’s no secret, right?”
“Yes, but . . .” Drew pressed her lips together to gather her rattled thoughts. She should’ve known he’d be stupid about it. “We don’t use derogatory terms like fruit or anything else but gay. I would’ve thought you of all people would be a little more sensitive about this.”
“Me? Why?”
Rolling her eyes, Drew couldn’t believe she thought for a moment he might act differently when it came to this stuff. “Because of your moms. They’re gay too, remember?”
Scrunching up his face before taking a sip of his wine, Nine shook his head. “Yeah, but they’re women. That’s different.”
Drew’s jaw dropped, and she didn’t even care if he noticed. “How is it different?”
That sinful grin made an appearance as Nine reached out to set his glass down on the table. “Sweetheart, if I have to show you, I will—shit!”
The glass he’d just set down somehow tumbled over and crashed onto the floor, shattering everywhere and making a mess in the process. “How the hell did that happen?” On his feet instantly, Nine started picking up glass. “Careful,” he said as he picked up a piece near Drew’s feet. “I just set it down.”
Examining the wooden table, Nine touched it with his finger. “That tiny little dent made the glass fall? What the hell?”
Drew was up now too, looking for a broom or something they could clean the mess with. She found a small hand broom and dustpan set in one of the small closets. Nine grabbed a bunch of napkins, and together they cleaned up his mess.
Grabbing another glass from the many that hung in racks, Nine cleaned out the dust and poured himself another glassful.
“So your kid’s dad is gay, huh? Was he not gay then or did you plan—?”
Drew shook her head, not sure if she even wanted to continue this conversation with him now. “First, you take back what you said about him and promise that you won’t use anymore derogatory terms when referring to him, or I’m done discussing this with you.”
“Take what back? “He chuckled. “That he’s gay?”
“No. The names. You know what?” She shook her head. “Never mind. I don’t even wanna hear them again. Just promise you’ll act like a mature adult when discussing him and no name-calling.”
The mischief that danced so prevalently in his eyes moments ago was instantly gone as his smile flattened. “I can do that.”
“He wasn’t out yet,” she explained, glad that this wasn’t as humiliating as it once felt.
Almost wishing he’d refused to be mature about this, Drew went on. She explained about having met Phoenix in college. How it took him longer than most to come out of the closet because of his uber-conservative family, so even she didn’t know he was gay. “He was raised in the Mormon church. But not like just any member. His family was very active, and his grandpa was even a deacon who was very vocal about what a sin homosexuality is. So Phoenix was deep in the closet and even admitted he might’ve stayed there forever if it wasn’t for how things happened.”
Not sure what to make of his vacant expression, Drew took a deep breath as Nine sat back in his seat as if to make himself more comfortable. “So what happened? I’m curious as hell now. How’d you end up pregnant with his kid?”
She shrugged with a smile. “In a way, you can say Chelsea was the blessing he needed to get the courage to make him stop living a lie.”
Drew’s thoughts were interrupted as Nine sat up quickly and before she knew it, he filled her up again. “I think I’ve had enough.”
“You’re fine,” he said, sitting back. “We may be in here for a while. Live a little.”
Peering at him, Drew swallowed hard and went on with her explanation without touching her glass of wine. “Well, like I said, we met in college, became friends, and because he was so in the closet, I never even suspected he might be gay. He’s very charming and funny and easy to get along with, and he paid me lots of compliments, which I interpreted as his way of flirting.”
Drew paused when Nine chuckled. “I’m sure he’s charming. Did he compliment your fabulous outfits and jewelry?”
Cocking a brow, Drew folded her arms in front of her. “I am done.”
“No, no, no!” Nine lifted his hand in front of him. “Okay. Alright. I’m sorry. I’ll listen quietly. I promise. Go on. You thought he was flirting, so then what?”
Still glaring at him, Drew grudgingly exhaled but went on. “Inevitably, I began falling for him, especially after we started doing things out of school. We attended a few film festivals and indie film showings or just went to the regular movies, which always ended with us having dinner or drinks. Long story short after about six months of this, I was certain he was as into me as I was into him . . .”
Pausing because she needed a drink now before she told him the rest, Drew took a mindfully small sip of her wine as Nine stared at her curiously but, as promised, didn’t say anything.
Clearing her throat again, she went on. “I’d discussed it endlessly with Charlee, and we both agreed he was either a virgin or just very shy about making a move. So, I invited him over to watch a movie at my place one night. I made dinner for him and everything. I brought out the wine.” She motioned to the glass. “And then it happened.”
“What happened?” Nine asked, lifting a brow.
Of course, he was going to make her spell it out for him. Chin up, she went on with a shrug, because she was long over this. “We kissed and—”
“Who kissed who first?”
Momentarily stunned by the interruption—but even more by the question—Drew shook her head, feeling even more flustered. “I don’t remember.”
“Sure you do.” Nine was literally on the edge of his seat now, as if the embarrassing tale of how she seduced her gay baby daddy was the most fascinating story he’d ever heard. “You waited six months for this. Of course you remember.”
“I did,” she admitted without hesitation but held her head high still. “He kissed me right back, and next thing you know, we’re in my bedroom. Bada-bing bada-boom.” With another shrug, she added the whole truth because obviously there was no happily-ever-after ending. “Things got a little weird after.”
“How so?”
Drew peered at him now, not understanding why he was so into this. All the man needed was a box of popcorn and he’d be set. He looked absolutely fascinated by her ordeal. But she did her best to pretend not to notice. Though a three-headed unicorn in the room would’ve been easier to ignore.
“He left while I was sleeping, and I didn’t hear from him for a few days. It happened to be winter break, so it wasn’t like I could just casually run into him at school. I was mortified.”
This time she stopped to take a bigger swig of her wine, and of course Nine noticed. “That bad, huh?”
She shook her head, putting her glass down, and wiped her mouth. “At the time, yes. But that was over five years ago. I’m long over it now. He waited until we were back in school and then came clean.” As much as she attempted to refrain from rolling her eyes at the next part, it couldn’t be helped. “Said he’d enjoyed it so much he’d momentarily questioned whether o
r not he was really gay. But then he ran into Sean again, a guy he’d apparently been pining over for a while, who, by the way, is now Chelsea’s second daddy. It’s when Phoenix knew he was as gay as his Beyoncé-loving heart had ever been.”
“I’ll never get that,” Nine said, taking a swig of his wine.
Drew waited for him to go on because she wasn’t sure what he meant. But when he didn’t, she had to ask. “Get what?”
“Why do all gay dudes like Beyoncé and Brittany Spears and all those other female singers so much? You’d think they’d be into guys, right?”
For once since she began her explanation, Drew suddenly had the giggles, only she stopped suddenly when she snorted. Bringing her hand over her mouth and staring wide-eyed at Nine’s humor-laced eyes, only made her giggle more. “Okay,” she said between giggles. “No more wine for me.”
Nine shook his head, and she wasn’t sure if that meant, okay no more or no there’s still plenty. Would he still be insisting she continue to live a little? He didn’t reach for the bottle or anything, even though her glass was now empty, so she took it to mean the former.
When she’d composed herself enough to go on, she did. “I asked him the same thing, and let me tell you, making blanket statements like that about gay people is the same as your statements about white folk. And I didn’t even say all gay dudes like you did. Just asked why so many of them are into those divas.”
His expression was as obvious as she was beginning to think he was. Clearly, he really believed all gay guys were alike. “So this Sean guy isn’t into them or any of their friends,” he asked, looking completely unconvinced.
“I don’t know.”
She refused to get into this debate, especially not with Nine. So instead, she went on with her explanation about the diva love. How for some it was about fantasizing, but for others like Phoenix, it was just about loving the dance music. “For many, like Phoenix, gay clubs were the first place they ever felt free to be themselves and be celebrated not shunned. So it’s like that music is a joyful reminder of the first time they truly felt happy and accepted for who they were.”
To her surprise, he didn’t comment. Instead, he stared at her, and for a moment, she was caught in those eyes. Eyes that could go from lightheartedly playful to scandalously curious.
“So did you sleep with him again or was it the one time?”
Letting out a groan without thought, she immediately felt the need to explain. “I love my daughter with all my heart, so don’t get me wrong. But obviously, it’s not the most ideal situation. Certainly not what any girl dreams of. All it took was the one time, and before you ask, no, not having her was never an option for me.” She shrugged. “Personal choice that I didn’t even know would be my choice until I was officially told I was pregnant. It’s like I fell in love instantly and Phoenix was all for it. But he’d just begun to talk with Sean. They weren’t in a relationship yet, so at least he didn’t cheat on him, but he did have to come clean about it obviously, and he wanted to be there all the way for Chelsea.” This time Drew was able to refrain from doing the eye roll. “If you can believe it, my pregnancy actually made them closer, and it’s when Phoenix decided to just come out to his parents. Talk about a double whammy. Mom and Dad, I’m gay. Oh and by the way, I accidently got a girl pregnant too. So now I’m gonna be a daddy and between my baby momma and my boyfriend we’ll all be raising the baby together.”
This time Nine chuckled, but it was fleeting because he seemed to have something else on his mind. He pulled his shirt even further up his arms than the mid-way it already was, exposing his assortment of tattoos. “First of all, maybe because he was in the closet he wasn’t as obvious back then. But if he was anything like what I saw, I don’t know how you wouldn’t pick up on it. But whatev, I’m more curious about something else.”
His playful demeanor switched to serious again. It had Drew gulping, but his eyes boring into hers now with a purpose was what really had her heart racing. “Last time we talked, you mentioned that you were once into bad boys—guys like me—until you grew up.” He raised a brow, his intense eyes going a bit darker. “Yet, you admit you started falling for Phoenix way back, a guy you thought maybe was just really shy—a virgin even. Explain that.”
Chapter 7
Nine
For too damn long, Nine had harped on Dee’s comments about having only been into guys like him, until she grew up. He wasn’t about to just sit here and listen to her completely contradict that statement and let her off so easily.
Understandably, she seemed a bit uncomfortable, but Nine couldn’t let this go. He needed an explanation. She’d seemed so genuine even in her apology that night when he’d obviously taken offense to her comments. Something had to give.
“I told you that first night I didn’t exactly grow up as soon as Chelsea was born,” she admitted in a softer, meeker voice than she’d been speaking in earlier, and any sign of giggling was gone now as well. “Phoenix was actually the first guy I’d been drawn to who wasn’t one of those douche—” She stopped as if catching herself and shook her head. “Bad boys or I believe the word I used was players.”
Realizing she’d just referred to the guys she’d been into before—like Nine—as douches, he bit his tongue and didn’t retort like he might’ve otherwise. Instead, he waited for her to go on.
“It’s what excited me most about him.” She fidgeted with the hem of her dress. “He was all the things I liked in a guy: tall, good-looking, single, and he was so easy to talk to.” She smiled big suddenly. “He made me laugh so easily. Still does, and as I got to know him better, I was really surprised he wasn’t one of the typical guys I always started to fall for who were banging a different girl every few nights. He seemed genuinely sincere when he said he wasn’t seeing anyone else. It’s why I got so excited about him.” This time she frowned bitterly. “I should’ve known.”
Nine listened intently, doing his best not to chuckle at times, as she explained how, even after Chelsea was born and she eventually got back into the dating scene, it was the same ole thing. Somehow, she always ended up with the same type of guy. “It got to the point where Phoenix called me a ‘douche magnet.’”
Allowing himself this time, Nine chuckled slightly, pretending to be amused by that, but as always with this girl, he was curious about more now. “You tell Phoenix about every guy you date?”
She nodded immediately without hesitation. “Just about. I’m telling you, from the moment I met him, he was just so easy to talk to. I could tell him anything. But there’s more to it. Who I choose to date is my business and he respects that. But who I’m going to have around Chelsea . . . Well, I know it’s as important to him as who he brings around her is to me. So I sort of feel obligated to share with him about the guys I’m dating.” She shook her head with a smile. “Any guy I thought might have a chance of meeting my daughter, that is. But I didn’t tell him about every douche I dated. Like I said, I have nothing against loving the single no-strings-attached life because I enjoyed it for a while there too. So it didn’t mean I couldn’t indulge in the occasional hot piece of man-whore ass. I’d just put them on my for-fun-only list. I stopped sharing with Phoenix about the guys on that list. Except he did hear about the ones I’d start to get my hopes up about, only to be disappointed in the end. Hence, my being labeled a douche magnet.”
“Until Brad.”
Oddly, she went quiet for a moment as if he’d hit a nerve, and of course, just as he stared at those lips that began to speak again, there was a knock that came from the other room, followed by someone calling out.
Dee was immediately on her feet. “We’re saved. In here!”
“Saved?” Nine asked, feeling a little irritated as he too stood up and followed her.
“Well, yeah.” She turned back to him with a silly smile. “You know what I mean. How long have we been in here?”
“Careful.” He reached out for her when he saw she was about to walk into a barr
el.
With a gasp, she tried in vain to hold herself up without toppling over the barrel but started to go down anyway. Nine reached out and caught her just in time, pulling her to him. Her soft body crashed against his as he secured his free arm around her waist, making sure not to spill the wine glass he was still holding in his other hand.
As she stared at him a bit startled, their faces so close now, he could actually smell the sweet wine on her breath, as his eyes dropped to her soft wet lips. The door they’d come into the wine cellar was pushed open. A man dressed like one of the waiters walked in, relieving Nine just slightly. Until Beast walked in just behind him. As expected, especially given the compromising position they’d been found in, Beast looked instantly annoyed.
Nine didn’t even get a chance to enjoy holding her to him the way he might’ve if they hadn’t been walked in on so fucking soon. She pulled away from him casually, only Nine could see how uncomfortable their sudden interruption had made her. Swallowing hard, Nine took a deep breath. Dee may’ve been out of his arms, but the lingering scent of her perfume, coupled with the brush of her soft her hair against his face, was something he already knew he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon. Neither would the feel of her warm body pressed against his and how close he’d been to tasting those lips.
“We got stuck in here,” Dee informed them just as O walked in behind Beast and the waiter and stared at them in that same surprised way the other two were looking at them.
“They’re in here,” O called out to someone up the stairs.
A female voice asked if they were okay, and O glanced back at them. They both nodded even as Nine took the final swig of his wine and put the glass down.
“They’re fine,” Beast said, glaring at Nine now.
O relayed the message to whoever was asking as Dee straightened, pulling farther away from Nine’s body. “Yeah,” Dee said as she patted herself down. “Except for me nearly taking a spill for a second there, we’re good.”
She explained about snooping their way down the stairs as they searched for more stuff for the treasure hunt. Then about the humidifier going off and the door automatically locking them in.