I opened the door.
The TV was on. Maybe I could just bypass the living room altogether. Hell, if I was lucky, Darren was balls-deep in Sandy and they’d be distracted. I never had wished for my friends to be fucking in the living room before. First time for everything.
They weren’t.
I almost made it.
“Corey?”
I looked longingly down the hallway toward my room. It was so close. But if I ran for it, they’d know something was up.
I forced a smile on my face as I looked into the living room.
Sandy and Darren were sitting on the couch.
And Paul and Vince were on the other couch.
Even Wheels was there on the floor.
Every single one of them was looking at me.
“Oh no,” I whispered.
Sandy arched an eyebrow. “You okay?”
I nodded jerkily. “Oh yeah. Never better. Like, you have no idea. The best I’ve ever been. Fo’ sho.”
Silence.
I immediately started sweating.
“Okay,” Sandy said slowly. “How’d it go?”
He was a master. I didn’t know why I ever thought I could go against him. It was over. It was all over. “Fine,” I said. “Great. Super!”
“Did they have a big house?” Vince asked.
“The biggest! It had a million rooms! And a bidet!”
“Hmm,” Sandy and Paul said.
“Did you get the funding?” Darren asked.
“What’s with the third degree?” I demanded. “Can’t a man come home to his own house without having to answer all these damn questions?”
More silence.
Shit. “I mean, uh. Yes. Thank you for asking, Darren. It appears as if the Super Gays were receptive to our needs. We were successful in our endeavor. Huzzah!”
Wheels rolled over to me, sniffing at my shoes. Damn dog.
“Really?” Sandy said. “That’s wonderful. You should tell us all about it. Go get changed and come back out here.” He smiled at me.
Nope. Nope, nope, nope. I faked a yawn so wide, my jaw cracked. “Sorry, guys. Can this wait until tomorrow? It’s been a long night, and I’m really tired. You know how it is. Taking money from the rich really knocks you out.”
“I can only imagine,” Paul said. He looked down at his dog and frowned. “Wheels, stop eating Corey’s shoes!”
I looked down. And to my horror, I saw a drying, crusty white film on the tip of one of my loafers.