Bad Boy Billionaires 1 : The Ivy League Rake(37)

"And you have fun with the ear wax sniffer tonight," Elroy said. "I'm sure you'll both be very happy."

Without turning, Kyle said, "I'm sure we will."

Although Elroy still had his fists clenched a little, he smiled and shouted, "You know you still love me. Don't pretend to be mad."

Kyle continued walking. But he sent Elroy a backward glance, smiled, and flipped him the bird.

Chapter Fifteen

On Friday night, Elroy met Ricky at the hotel in Boston and they climbed into bed without even having a conversation first. They remained in bed until one in the morning, and then Ricky put on his pants and kissed Elroy goodbye. He said he had to get back home. He didn't go into detail about it because they both understood Ricky was married and he could not stay out all night. This bothered Elroy less than it should have. He'd gotten what he'd wanted; he'd given Ricky what he'd wanted.

What really made Elroy bite the inside of his cheek was when he returned to his room and he found out Kyle hadn't returned yet. How long could a movie with creepy Lev Godwin last? Elroy took off his clothes, climbed into bed, and stared at the dark ceiling until he drifted to sleep around four o'clock in the morning. When he opened his eyes at six the next morning and saw Kyle tip-toeing into the room in the same clothes he'd worn the night before, he sat up and asked, "Where have you been all night?" He kept his voice light. He didn't want to sound angry.

Kyle shrugged and walked to his bed. "We had car trouble. We wound up waiting for a tow truck."

"I see." He wasn't sure he believed him. But he didn't want him to think he was mad at him.

"What time did you get in last night?" Kyle asked.

"Around eleven o'clock," Elroy said. He lied. He'd been out until shortly before two in the morning. But he wanted Kyle to think he'd come back earlier.

Kyle started to remove his clothes. "Did you have a good time with the married guy?"

"The time of my life," Elroy said. "Did you have a good time with the ear wax sniffer?" 

Kyle had stripped down to his boxer shorts. He climbed into bed and said, "It was nice. Lev is a sweet guy. He's very smart, and political. I never knew that. He even held the car door open for me."

"Isn't that nice?" Elroy said, making a face at the same time. He'd never been political. He thought all politicians were sleaze bags, liars, and cheats. He'd learned a great deal about emotional and psychological manipulation after studying the way the most successful politicians campaigned-especially in recent years, when politicians had begun to make millions of dollars on the Internet from people who could hardly afford to pay back student loans. It all seemed to be about emotion. If you could get to their hearts and make them feel good, you could own them.

Kyle yawned and turned on his side. "I'm exhausted."

"I'll bet you are," Elroy said. He didn't really think Kyle had slept with Lev. But the thought of it being a possibility turned his stomach a little.

Elroy hesitated,then sighed. "Do you ever feel as if something is missing?"

"All the time," Kyle said. "I'm used to it."

"I'm glad we're roommates," Elroy said. "It makes things better somehow." He really did mean this. But while he was talking he was thinking of ways to get even with Lev Godwin for keeping Kyle out all night. He'd get that creepy little ear wax sniffer if it was the last thing he did.

"I'm glad we're roommates, too," Kyle said. "Now go back to sleep and be quiet. I'm tired."

"Do you still love me?" Elroy asked.

Kyle laughed and said, "Yes. I don't know why, but I do still love you, idiot. Go to sleep."

The room went silent and Elroy worried he would have trouble falling asleep again with daylight streaming through the window. He had trouble sleeping under normal conditions. Going back to sleep in the morning had always been a challenge. He glanced at Kyle and saw he'd plopped down on the bed in his underwear without bothering to pull up the covers. Kyle had worn that old pair of gray boxer shorts that Elroy had seen him wear the first day they'd met. Elroy would never have worn ugly underwear like that. On anyone else they would have been offensive. But glancing at the way Kyle was sprawled out on the bed gave him such a good feeling that he turned on his side, went back to sleep, and didn't open his eyes until noon.

* * * * In the weeks that followed, Elroy continued to sneak around with Ricky on the sly. Sometimes Ricky could only get away for an hour or two. So they did it in Elroy's car, in public restrooms, in elevators, and under bridges. If Ricky was really pressed for time, Elroy would meet him someplace safe, pull down his pants, and bend over for what amounted to nothing more than a fifteen-minute-or-less encounter. When Ricky had more time to spend, they met at a hotel, but never the same one twice.