Chapter 31

Lunch went well. West and Paul joined us, as did the boys. Dave was still a bit peeved about Lorraine and Andrew, but a grandchild out of wedlock wasn't even a possibility for him.

"Which reminds me, you son of a bitch. Lorraine needs a location for the reception so you're it. It's the first weekend in November."

"Oh hell, Dave, I wish you'd told me that sooner." I quipped. "I'm busy that weekend."

He glared at me. "Asshole." He turned the rest of the table. "He's a complete shithead."

Sean opened my calendar. "Hey Boss, it looks like you're clear that weekend after all." He started typing.

"I'll just go call Ivan and let him know we need caterers." Yann got up from the table and was dialing as he walked.

"Traiters." I muttered.

"So you guys have known each other for a long time." Paul observed.

"My college roommate." Dave lamented. "Four years with that asshole."

"If he was that bad, why didn't you move out?" Paul looked confused.

I laughed and Dave had to chuckle. "College chicks dig a good sob story." I said. "Dave had a brilliant line. 'I'm afraid to go back to my dorm. My roommate harasses me all the time. I don't feel safe there. Can I stay with you?' The number of women who fell for that!" I snickered. "Of course, it worked better when I came over and rubbed his ass in public."

"And you talk about me!" Yann exclaimed.

"Oh he was smooth back in the day." Dave grinned. "I'd be feeling out a girl and he'd come over and rub my chest or something else perverted and ask if I was going back to the dorm soon. And I'd say something like, don't touch me you sick fag, and he'd laugh and walk off. Then I'd look away from the girl and after the second or third time she'd ask what was wrong, I'd confess that the 'fag' thing was bravado and that really I was terrified of the scary black man who wanted to rape me. An hour later, I'd be in her room. Worked damn near every time."

"Wait! You got him laid out of the kindness of your heart?" West smirked. "Paul, if this guy tries to sell you anything, don't buy it."

"Huh?" Paul looked shocked which was not too surprising given we were supposed to be business partners.

"Yeah." Sean spoke up before Paul could. "I don't believe that for minute either. You were getting something."

"Me?" I tried to look innocent. "I was openly displaying my love for my friend and being cruelly rebuffed. I'd go back to the bar and drown my sorrows."

"In the beers the guys who felt sorry for you bought." Dave ratted me out. "John's never bought a drink in his life!"

"Oh so you always were a player!" Yann slapped my shoulder. "I knew it. I'm telling the others."

"So you two met in college. How did you meet West?" Sean asked.

"We used to attend a lot of the same conferences and workshops and I didn't know he was queer." West confessed. "If I'd known, I'd have stayed twenty feet away at all times."

I hadn't actually known that. "So what changed your mind?"

He shrugged. "Hell, I'd known you fifteen years by the time I found out. It didn't make any sense to start avoiding you then."

I shrugged. It wasn't a real explanation, but it probably didn't really matter in the long run. People had said similar things about me being their 'first black friend'.

"So my dad's ok with you being out?" Paul asked. "I mean, around him?"

West, Dave and I exchanged looks. "Well, it's one thing to accept a colleague as gay." Dave mused. "But when it's your son, it's another story."

"And I wouldn't say JR's ok with John so much as he's ok with John's money."

"Oh." Paul deflated a bit.

"Let me guess. You were thinking you might come out to him?" I must have hit the bull's-eye because Paul turned bright red again. "Don't. Not worth the grief he'll put you through. I'm not saying get married or any bullshit like that. Just don't worry about making some grand announcement."

"If you want to know how he'll handle it, bring a date to the wedding." Sean suggested.

West looked thoughtful. "JR won't make too much of a fuss there. Is he invited to this thing?"

Dave shrugged. "Professional courtesy. Lorraine invited half the free world. This thing's costing me a fortune."

"You?" I snickered. He hated Drew; now he was paying for the wedding. "I thought they were a modern, independent we'll-pay-our-way couple."

"Fuck off." Dave growled, but there was no force behind it. "She's my little girl."

"Oh I'll bet she loves hearing that!" West laughed.

"Yeah? Wait til yours turns 16."