Page 27 of When Ben Loved Jace (He Loved Him #2)

The sun is out in full force, the sky blue and devoid of clouds, making Tim’s invitation irresistible.

I was outvoted anyway. Allison insisted on tagging along to be my chaperone, or so she claims. I suspect she simply wanted in on the fun.

I certainly don’t mind, because as Jace drives us there, I realize just how seldom I’ve gotten to enjoy a boyfriend and my best friend at the same time.

We sing for Jace from the backseat of his car, where we decided to sit together, since it makes us feel like kids again.

And it provides the opportunity to tease him.

“Are we there yet, Daddy?” I complain.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Allison chimes in. “We should have had Mom drive us instead.”

“Settle down back there, kids,” Jace says gruffly, “or one of you is getting a spanking.”

It’s a good time. Enough to keep my nerves at bay. Of course it doesn’t hurt that Jace and I slept together this morning. I’m ready to be Tim’s platonic buddy while having fun in the sun.

The parking lot is mostly empty when we get there, aside from a few dozen cars, a pair of chartered buses, and a limousine. I text Tim as he requested, letting him know that we’ve arrived. Then we march right up to the gate, where a pair of employees seem more interested in their phones.

“We’re closed for a private event,” one of them says.

“That’s what we’re here for,” I declare proudly before grinning at Allison.

“What’s your name?”

“Ben. Or um… it might be under Benjamin actually.”

“Do you ever go by Jason?” Allison murmurs while the list is checked.

“Only at work,” Jace replies. “And at the doctor. That sort of thing. My family never calls me that.”

“Mine always call me Alli,” she replies, “which makes you wonder why they gave us names they never intended to use.”

I love that they get along.

“Sorry,” the employee says, shaking his head.

“We’re here with—” I begin to explain.

Then I choke, because I see Tim walking down the path beyond the gate, his movement lithe like a tiger.

A light sheen of sweat covers his brown skin—and I mean all of it—because only a small part of him is hidden behind a pair of ice-blue speedos.

Actually, that’s not accurate. The bulge between those thick legs is considerable. There’s nothing small about it!

“We’re with him,” Allison fills in for me while pointing.

The employee turns around. Tim raises an arm in greeting, the muscles of his torso rippling. I see stars before remembering to breathe.

“Damn!” I hear the employee murmur to himself before he clears his throat. “Uh… Go right in!”

“Walk,” Allison whispers helpfully while pushing on my lower back.

I take Jace’s arm for support—the emotional kind—as we go to greet him.

“Allison! Hey! Nice to see you again.”

“Same to you,” she says, laughing in surprise when Tim hugs her, but even she’s not immune. “Mm-mm! I don’t remember you being this firm. Ben tells me that you’re bi?”

Tim laughs. “Yeah. And for the record, I always thought you were hot.”

“Too bad,” Allison says when disengaging. “Ben and I already share so much, but there are some lines I’m simply not willing to cross.”

“I would totally sleep with Ronnie,” I say with a shrug.

“He was hot too,” Tim says. “And speaking of which…”

He opens his arms. I let go of Jace, expecting to receive a hug of my own, but I’m not the intended target. Jace realizes this and takes a step back, thrusting out a hand. “Nice to see you again,” he says cordially.

“You too,” Tim replies while grasping his palm. “And hey, I see you brought your boyfriend.” He ruffles my hair. “Sorry, what was your name again?”

“Benjamina,” I retort, since we used to joke that it should be my alias back in high school. She would’ve been the never seen girlfriend he told his friends and family about.

“What a lovely name,” he says with a grin. “I’m sure you’re a fine young lady.” Tim clasps his hands together. “Welcome! You guys are gonna have so much fun. But first, you’ve gotta meet the birthday boy. Party central is right this way. ”

“Should we have brought him a present?” Jace asks as we set out across the park. Which as promised, is so empty as to almost appear abandoned.

“Nah. Marcello already has everything he could ever want. Believe me. He’s filthy rich. With an emphasis on the filthy.”

“And who is he, exactly?” Allison enquires.

“A friend of a friend. The guy I live with, Eric, used to be a hot shot financial advisor. Like one of the biggest in his field. He single-handedly made Marcello rich, who provided the seed money Eric needed when first starting out, making him rich too. Marcello calls it a mutually beneficial something or rather.”

“I’ve got ten bucks I can pitch in,” I say, patting my pockets.

“I have twenty,” Allison adds. “Sign us up!”

Tim laughs. “Eric is retired now, but he could probably give you some advice. Although you’d probably need a little more startup capital than that.”

“I don’t suppose Marcello is single,” Allison says. “And interested in women?”

“You got one out of two right,” Tim says. “I’ll let you guess which.”

He nods ahead of us, where dance music is playing, and it’s instantly apparent what he means. Exploding forth from a cabana bar are a variety of rainbow-themed decorations, including streamers and balloons. If that wasn’t indication enough, a sea of scantily dressed men gyrate together to the beat.

“Am I the only woman here?” Allison asks, sounding distraught.

“You’ll fit right in,” Tim teases. “Just tell them you’re a drag queen.”

She slaps him on the ass, making him yipe. As for me, I can’t help but notice that his cheeks are so firm they don’t even jiggle.

Eric notices us and waves. He’s wearing a floppy-brimmed sun hat, which looks absolutely adorable on him, a pair of shades dangling from his partially unbuttoned shirt.

Standing next to him is a portly gentleman who appears as though he overindulged in every pleasure life had to offer before inventing a few that nobody thought of yet.

His hair is a gradient of grays that get lighter when nearing his temples.

As he approaches, I notice the Hawaiian shirt he’s wearing incorporates a hula boy pattern, his devilish eyes dark and glimmering when sizing us up .

“What a pleasure to meet you all!” he declares in a deep booming voice. “My name is Marcello, the veritable man of the hour. Or perhaps I should say, the man of the half-century, seeing as it is my fiftieth birthday.”

“He’s had a few of those,” Tim murmurs from next to me.

“Nonsense!” Marcello shoots him a dirty look before his cherub smile returns.

“You must be the legendary Benjamin.” He swiftly takes my hand to kiss it.

“Welcome, darling boy. Ah, and this must be Jace, your charming beau.” His hand is kissed next.

“And of course, the ever-underfoot Tim. What a handsome trio you make! One adorably short, another ponderously stout —”

“Hey!” Tim complains.

“—and one enticingly tall. Why, it’s the complete set! What else could one possibly desire except perhaps…” Marcello gasps theatrically, as if only having noticed Allison. “I must know the name of the ebony goddess who so generously graces us with her presence.”

“Allison,” she says, smiling when her hand is kissed. “Oh, I like you already!”

“Thank you, my dear. Would you care to join me for a glass of champagne? We have an open bar. In fact, feel free to partake of any of the delights you might see while here. Your delight is my desire.”

“I’m ready to hit some water slides,” Tim says eagerly while rubbing his hands together.

“Sounds good to me,” I say, Jace nodding his agreement.

“Are we talking real champagne?” Allison asks. “Or just some wine with bubbles in it.”

“I’ve spared no expense,” Marcello assures her.

“And that fine brother working the bar,” she continues, “is he gay too?”

“I’ve gotten absolutely nowhere with him,” Marcello purrs, “despite my best efforts. Perhaps you can teach me a few tricks. I’ll have him open a fresh bottle and meet you over there.”

Tim introduces Jace to Eric, giving me the opportunity to pull my best friend aside.

“You can’t abandon me!” I hiss.

She rolls her eyes. “I’m here to have fun. You’ll do fine. Just remember which one is your boyfriend. Simple as that.”

“ Allison! ” I whine. Which usually works. Not this time .

“I’ll catch up with you. If you get too turned on, think about your parents having sex.”

“Gross!”

“Exactly.” She smooches me on the cheek. “See you later.”

Tim guides us to a locker room and waits outside, so we can change. We’re both wearing swim trunks, so all we have to do is take off our shirts and shoes. Once they’re locked up safely, we venture out into the sun again. Tim looks us both over, focusing more on Jace than me.

“Damn, dude! You’ve got a sexy bod. I can see why Benjamin is so hooked.”

Jace ignores the compliment. “Marcello is quite the character. Is he always like that?”

“With most people, yeah.” Tim makes a face. “You’ll notice that he didn’t kiss my hand. He thinks I’m after Eric’s money. Which is dumb, because if I was—” He places his hands on his hips and grins. “—I’d be dressed like this every day. What should we hit first?”