Kiss Is a Four-Letter Word (8 page)

"Oh, fuck it all to hell," Eli said, striding over.

Simon lurched back but Eli was on him, strong hands grabbing his biceps and pulling him forward. He let Eli manhandle him, relief crashing through his body.
Oh thank God, he feels this too
. Simon tried to wrap his brain around that realization. Failed. He was so aroused the lack of blood had to be making him stupid.
My legs are trembling, how ridiculous
, he thought, then Eli's lips were on his, softly coaxing his mouth open.

"Eli, what are you doing?" Simon whispered. Eli smelled so fucking good. He leaned in, unable to stop himself from trying to get closer.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Eli kissed him again.

Simon's couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Was this really happening? "Eli, God." Simon kissed him back, but then pulled away, panting. His cock was so hard it hurt.

"Just shut up. Shut the fuck up, Simon, okay?" Eli let his head fall onto Simon's shoulder. "Don't say anything."

"Eli, this is crazy," Simon said. He didn't know where to put his hands and finally settled them on Eli's hips. "Sherry is going to be here any minute now."

"I know." Eli turned his face into Simon's neck then stepped back. He looked as wrecked as Simon felt.

"We need to talk about this," Simon said, taking the shreds of his courage and forcing himself to act like a rational adult. "We can't just keep ignoring what's happening."

"I know." Eli's sounded like he'd swallowed rocks. "But not now. Sherry is coming, and God—" He ran his hands over his short hair.

"I don't want to hurt her." Simon clenched his hands into fists. How did they get into this fucked-up situation? Since when did he like guys? Since when did he like guys and girls at the same time? His nails cut into his palms.

"You think I do?" Eli burst out, anger chasing across his face. He glared at Simon but then the quick flash of his temper died out. "Oh shit, Simon. You like her too?"

Simon blinked. What the fuck? "Well, yeah. Of
course
."

Eli blushed suddenly, color washing over his face like a wave. "Oh my God, I'm sorry. Shit."

What? Eli turned away, heading for the door. Simon beat him there. "Eli? What the fuck?" He grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing the bigger man back before he could open the suite's door. "What just happened?"

"You like Sherry. I'll stay out of your way," Eli babbled, to Simon's astonishment. Eli never babbled.

"You fucking moron. You like Sherry too." He gave Eli a little shake. "What the hell is going through your mind right now?"

"I didn't mean to kiss you. I thought—" Eli flushed again and tried to shrug Simon's arms off.

"You thought what?" Eli bit his lip so hard Simon was afraid he was going to draw blood. Since Eli wasn't trying to get away anymore, Simon let go and reached up, cupping his friend's face. He tapped his thumb on Eli's lip, urging the teeth to let go. "You're going to hurt yourself. Stop that."

Eli closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the door. Simon rubbed his thumb over Eli's mouth. So soft. His cock sprang back to life, pushing up against the soft elastic of his briefs. Could this get any weirder? He was attracted to his best friend. He forced himself to accept it even as he kept his thumb over Eli's lips. But did Eli feel the same? He'd thought so, but now he wasn't so sure. What had just happened?

"You're going to make me say it out loud?" Eli muttered.

Simon wanted to punch him and kiss him simultaneously. He ground his teeth in frustration. "Since I don't know what the fuck is going on, yeah, I'm going to make you say it out loud."

Eli sighed and opened his eyes. "I like Sherry. I want to get to know her better."

Simon felt his heart shrivel up into a horrible little ball, but Eli kept talking.

"I want you, too. For the first time in my life I've realized that I'm just as attracted to you as I am to women, and I feel like an idiot."

Simon's heart unfurled and banged against his ribs. Eli wanted him too? Simon didn't think the attraction was entirely one-sided, but he'd been shoving his libido down into a box whenever Eli was near. Which was all the time. He tried to think of what to say. Eli flushed again and Simon found it unbearably sexy.

"Fuck, Simon, say something." Eli was staring at him, his green eyes so bright Simon thought he could see right into his soul. Instead of speaking, he leaned in, slow enough that Eli could stop him if he wanted and kissed him. Kissed his best friend. He licked into Eli's mouth with all the passion he'd been keeping tied up tight and ground his rock-hard erection into Eli's hip. He kissed Eli until he ran out of air then he hung on and kissed him some more. When he finally pulled back, gasping, he had the feeling Eli finally knew all about how Simon was desperate to fuck his brains out.

Eli cleared his throat. "Um. Okay. I'm guessing you feel the same way."

Simon snorted. He couldn't help himself. "Ya think?" One look at Eli and Simon burst out laughing. He couldn't keep it in. The situation was absurd.

"I think you just sucked my brains out through my mouth," Eli said, lips twitching.

Simon laughed harder, hanging onto Eli's lapels. His stomach ached from holding so much in. "How in the world could you think I didn't want you? You fucking idiot." He shoved his cock into Eli again, enjoying the sensation of Eli's dick lodged up against his. He ignored the fleeting pangs of terror that still raced through him.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know. For fuck's sake, you're straight." Eli pried Simon's hands off his jacket and tucked them around his waist. He pulled Simon closer, not seeming to mind the hard-on digging into him.

"So are you," Simon said, still chuckling. "We're both straight. What the hell?"

"This is all Sherry's fault," Eli said, laughing now too.

Simon nodded, willing to go with that. "We'll have to tell her she broke us."

Eli grinned. Simon could feel it against his cheek. "She totally broke us. Clearly."

Simon sighed then stepped away. "How can this work? I mean, seriously?"

Eli looked at him then shrugged. "I have no idea. But I'm not going to just let it slip away, you know? We'll figure it out."

Simon thought about all the years he'd been the best of friends with this man. Thought about all the things they'd been through together. No, Eli wasn't the kind of man to let go of something once he got his fists around it. Simon moved close and grabbed Eli's hands, closing his fingers around Eli's warm skin and squeezing. Eli looked him in the eye and nodded, squeezing back.

Simon wasn't the kind of man to let go either.

****

The fourth time Sherry set eyes on Simon and Eli, she had just stepped into the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York City. The setting sun threw the lights from the buildings into sharp relief against the darkening sky. She looked up at the familiar landmarks of the city, then gathered her courage and went inside. When she reached the ballroom, she looked into the enormous space that stretched in front of her. Three huge chandeliers lit tables cluttered with crystal and silver. Three glass walls soared up to an eighteen-foot ceiling. The view of Manhattan left her gaping. She felt very much out of place.

The people around her didn't really set her at ease, unfortunately. Celebrities mingled with the super-rich in formal tuxedos and gowns that sparkled as brightly as the skyline glimpsed through the windows. Sherry had never seen so many diamonds all in one place and holy hell, was that Brad Pitt? Sherry felt like a fish lost in a meadow of butterflies, desperately searching for water. What was she doing here? A waiter paused near her and she swiped one of the glasses of champagne off his tray, ignoring his sympathetic smile. She wanted to drain it but forced herself to take small sips. The last thing she needed was to pass out just inside the doors.

"First time at one of these things, huh?" the waiter asked.

Sherry looked at him and sighed. He seemed like a nice guy with his tousled blond hair and twinkling eyes. "Yeah. Is it that obvious?"

He shrugged. "They're just people, like anyone else. Most of them are assholes and some of them are nice." He grinned at her.

Sherry laughed, starting to feel a little better. "Do you work at these things a lot?"

"I'm an actor, of
course
I work a lot of these things," he joked. A man in a black uniform waved at them and Sherry's new friend straightened up. "Well, gotta get moving. Good luck." He sent her an encouraging smile and gracefully walked off, offering drinks to random guests. Sherry squared her shoulders. Time to get moving. At the very least, she could search for Eli and Simon rather than standing frozen near the door like a statue. She took a single step inside then another and suddenly the noise level dropped. Everyone was looking at the stairs on the far end of the room. Sherry glanced up. Poised at the top of the steps were Eli and Simon, looking more handsome than any men had a right to be.

"Oh wow, there they are," a woman nearby whispered to her friend. Sherry glanced at them. The woman smiled. "Aren't they gorgeous?"

Sherry couldn't help grinning. "That they are."

"I wish I could meet them. I've been coming to this thing for the past four years but I can't seem to finagle an introduction to the two of them."

Sherry frowned. "Are they that difficult to meet?"

The woman stared at her. "You've never been to this before, I take it?"

Sherry sighed. "No. I haven't and I know it's totally obvious that I’m new."

The woman laughed. "Oh don't worry, it's fun. Nothing to stress over. And the food's always awesome." She nodded her head toward Eli and Simon. They were talking with an older couple now, still on the top landing of the staircase. "Meeting Eli Moest and Simon River is impossible. I've been trying to corner them for years. They're always surrounded."

"By whom?" Sherry asked, curious.

The woman tossed her long blond hair. "Investors. Celebrities. Politicians. Everyone wants a piece of the action." She smoothed her hand down her green gown. "Well, I'm off to try again. Maybe this will be my year. See you around."

The woman stalked off with her friend, lights sparkling on the jewelry at their wrists and fingers. She was sleek, beautiful, and confident.
What the hell were Simon and Eli doing asking me to this thing? I'm the opposite of elegant.
Sherry took another sip of her drink, wondering if she should even bother trying to shove through the crowd. Maybe she should just leave now.

As she stood there, debating the merits of escape, someone knocked into her and she spilled her champagne. Damn. Could this evening get any worse? Some of the liquid hit her bare toes. She hoped none of it got on the beautiful dress Carrie made for her and looked down, trying to see if it had stained the fabric. Nope, nothing. Sherry heaved a sigh of relief and straightened back up, glancing at the stairs. Eli was looking right at her.

She looked back, unable to stop herself. He was gorgeous. He nudged Simon and whispered something to him. Simon's head swung around too. Sherry flushed. Her heart banged against her ribs so hard she wondered if the people around her could hear it. Was this what Cinderella felt like when she set eyes on Prince Charming? How in the hell would she make it until midnight without making a fool of herself?

Chapter Five

"There she is," Eli said to Simon, nudging him with his arm. Simon looked down into the crowd. Eli knew the moment he saw her by the way his friend's breath caught.

"Damn. She's beautiful." Simon fingered his cufflinks again and Eli smiled at the nervous gesture.

"We should go down and show her our table. She probably has no idea where she's sitting."

Simon glanced at Eli. "She probably doesn't know a single person here. It took a lot of guts for her to come." His voice was admiring.

Eli nodded. Simon was right. "You don't need to convince me that Sherry's amazing. I already knew that." He started down the steps, nodding at the guests they'd invited. The company had been hosting this charity for the New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital for years, long before his father died and left him the reigns. That meant a lot of the people here wanted to talk to him. And Simon. Eli didn't know how he would've done it all without Simon.

He glanced at his friend then reluctantly stopped to chat with the mayor. Even as he nodded and made small talk, Eli was thinking about how he'd never known his father. How he and his mom had been happy with just each other. Simon lived next door to them for most of Eli's childhood and they'd been best friends forever. He remembered the day the lawyers came to the apartment he and Simon shared in the Bronx while they were studying at Columbia. It was pizza night. He and Simon had just cracked open the box when the lawyers told him that his father was John Ellis Blackwood III. When they told him that the man Eli had never known had died and left him everything, one year before Eli graduated with his MBA, his first reaction was panic. The everything in his father’s will included billions of dollars and the Blackwood investment company.

Damn, life had been weird back then. It'd been eight years since he and Simon had taken over the dog and pony show. After the first turbulent years they'd settled in, but lately Eli found the challenge merely exhausting rather than invigorating. He felt old, at age thirty, until he met Sherry.