Prey for Love Read online

  “Give yourself a break,” Bethany said, finally brightening when a group of people approached. Phillip recognized a number of them and smiled as well. This was turning into a smaller-scale college reunion. Phillip greeted everyone and escorted Bethany to a table.

  “Do you want me to bring you a plate?” Phillip asked her, and she sighed.

  “You’re a dear. Just get anything… oh, and some ham… and pickles if there are any… coleslaw too… and….”

  Phillip chuckled. “Okay.” He stood and went to the small buffet, made up two plates, and returned to the table, where everyone was talking softly. He set a plate down for Bethany.

  “How is your business doing?” one of the guys asked. Phillip tried to remember his name and failed. He was sitting next to a woman Phillip didn’t know, likely his wife.

  “Donald has terrible manners. I’m Wendy,” she said, extending her hand. “His business is wonderful.” Wendy rolled her eyes. “I saw a great article on you and your company in Business Week a few months ago,” she said to him. “I think it’s wonderful how well you’re doing. Heck, you’re almost a household name—at least in any house with teenagers,” she said with a small laugh. “My young cousins think you’re a god.” She turned to Donald with an indulgent smile. “You remember, he started the company while we were all at Marquette.”

  “Yeah,” Donald said. “I thought you were crazy.” Phillip didn’t hear any malice in his voice. Maybe a touch of admiration. “It’s great you turned it into a success.”

  “Thanks….” Phillip looked over the assembled group. His stomach clenched as Phillip thought of some of the people who might be here, and he found himself scanning the crowd for specific faces, relieved when he didn’t see them.

  “Are you expecting someone?” Bethany asked.

  “No. I’m just surprised by who’s here and who isn’t,” he said gently.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Bethany spoke so ominously that Phillip wondered what he was missing. Something had clearly happened, something he had no idea about. He wondered if he should ask, but felt a little stupid and out of the loop, so he kept quiet.

  Donald nodded. “That was sad.” There were other nods at the table, and Phillip tried not to look confused, but he must have failed. “Didn’t you hear?” Donald asked him. “I thought the two of you were close for a while until he transferred.”

  Phillip shook his head. “What happened?” His stomach twisted a little.

  “Albert Pearlman…?” Bethany asked, and Phillip nodded.

  “What happened?” He hoped he kept the color from rising in his cheeks.

  “He died. There was a story in the news a few months ago. The official story is that he’d been drinking and his car went off the bluff. It ended up in Lake Michigan. They think the weather might have been a contributing factor, as well. That would have been… January, I guess.”

  Phillip paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. He put it down and forced himself not to shake. Then he excused himself and went down the hall to the bathroom, leaning against the tile wall as he googled Albert. The first thing Phillip noticed was the date of his death, and a quick check of his personal calendar told him that it was the day they’d set up to get together. He tried not to drop the phone, his hands were shaking so badly. Albert hadn’t dumped him—he’d driven off a cliff… and Phillip hadn’t had a clue.

  He took a deep breath, then locked his phone and put it in his pocket. Then he went to the sink and splashed some water on his face. A wave of grief washed over him—for Albert, for Roger—and for what might have been with both of them. He and Albert had hit things off right away… as in heating up the restaurant and kicking the AC into overdrive. After Phillip realized the chemistry between them, the two of them had eye-fucked each other for an hour. That had led to a second date, and another one after that. Albert traveled for work, and Phillip was busy, so they saw each other at least once a week and talked on the phone in between. But, like all of Phillip’s relationships, Albert had stopped calling and simply disappeared. Now Phillip knew what had happened. And fucking hell, he felt worse for it.

  Then there was Roger…. God, now he was starting to think that guys were dying to get away from him. Phillip grabbed a paper towel and blotted his face dry, then tossed the towel in the trash and walked out.

  He exhaled deeply and returned to the table, where the others were talking softly. “You okay, Phillip? You look pale.” Bethany patted his arm.

  “I’m okay. Funerals always get to me.” He’d been to far too many of them in his life. He wished he could learn to take them in stride… somehow. “What did I miss?”

  “We were just catching up,” Bethany explained as she looked down the table, flashing everyone the evil eye. Phillip knew what that meant: be quiet or lose your balls. Bethany had always been super protective of him. Phillip had forgotten how much he liked her for that.

  “I see. It must have been something pretty bad, judging by the stink eye you just gave them.” Phillip wasn’t sure he could take much more of this.

  “Well….” She bit her lower lip.

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Donald said. “We were taking about Winston. You remember him. He left in the middle of fall semester, junior year. Great guy, but had some sort of family problems.”

  “Yeah. He and I were involved in a business deal in London a few months ago. It didn’t really pan out at the time. But we were going to let a few months go by and see if the fundamentals changed.” They hadn’t, and as far as Phillip was concerned, they weren’t likely to with the way things had been left. Phillip picked up his fork, intending to eat a little more and tune out whatever gossip was going on around him.

  When things got tough, Phillip sank into his work. He had this new project that he was developing for more immersive games. It was going to be the next big thing for his company. Something completely different—and really exciting, with not just sight and sound, but a way to add additional sensory input to ramp up the intensity. So instead of paying attention—so what if he was rude? This was how he coped, for God’s sake—he let his mind sink into the project and what he still needed to do to get it where it needed to be.

  “Apparently, his family is fighting over his estate, and it’s getting really ugly,” Donald said, and instantly, like the needle on a record, Phillip’s attention skipped.

  “Who?” Phillip asked rapidly, his heart rate already speeding up.

  “Winston,” Donald answered, and Phillip tried to take a breath. Winston had died. “You didn’t know about that either? I mean, it’s not surprising since he was living in London and all. I heard that there’s a real fight in his family.” Donald went on to discuss some of the more sordid details, but Phillip didn’t pay attention. The walls were closing in around him.

  “Did he die in April?” Phillip asked, and Donald nodded.

  “I think so… yeah. He was on a trip to New York, and his cab was broadsided in an intersection. It was ugly, from what I heard. Both he and the driver were killed.” Donald quivered, and Phillip grew cold. He pushed his plate away, because there was no way he was going to be able to eat now. This had suddenly become a nightmare. The last three guys that he’d dated were now dead. Had he become some sort of angel of death? Still, he’d been out with other people, his regular group of friends, and nothing had happened to them.

  Phillip took a mental step back. This was all coincidence—it had to be. There was no sense in getting upset and letting his imagination run wild. It would only mess with his head, and hinder him from working. And right now, work was his main priority.

  “Did you go out with him too?” Donald asked, and when Phillip nodded, Wendy jabbed Donald in the ribs and rolled her eyes. “Sorry, but I was thinking how lucky I am that I’m not gay. You’re a great-looking guy and all, but if I dated you, I might—” He stopped when Wendy jabbed him again.

  “Just shut up before you get in any deeper.” She shook her head. “I can’t take h
im anywhere.” Wendy’s gaze wandered behind his shoulder, and Phillip turned, his eyes widening at the sight of the huge man with a military haircut and stunning blue eyes who stood about ten feet behind him.

  “Phillip?” the man asked in a deep voice that bordered on gruff. Phillip couldn’t place it, and yet the man was definitely familiar. Phillip wished he could kick-start his mind, but at the moment, the damned thing didn’t seem to be working properly. He’d had his legs metaphorically knocked out from under him, and was still struggling to get his bearings.

  “Barry Malone,” he said as recognition kicked in along with a rush of amazing memories. Phillip pushed back his seat and walked over to him, intending to shake his hand. But instead, he received a strong, solid hug, as if he were the man’s long-lost brother finally returning home. Everything was going to be okay. They always were when he was with his oldest friend.

  “Oh my God, how are you?” This was really turning out to be like a reunion, even given the somber occasion.

  “I’m really good,” Barry said softly. “I was hoping you might be here. It’s been way too long.” The smile was the same one Phillip remembered—just as warm and genuine as always.

  Phillip took a few seconds to enjoy Barry’s solidity as his long-forgotten, clean, almost woodsy scent wrapped around him. “From the look of it, I’d say you’re in the Marines,” Phillip said when Barry released him and he was able to step back. And damned if this Marine wasn’t everything they advertised.

  “I was.” Barry’s smile was bright and warm, with perfect teeth and creases that went to his eyes. It was obvious Barry was happy to see him. “I left school halfway through junior year because I had no way to pay for it.”

  Phillip remembered the loss he’d felt when Barry had no longer been there. “Even after all those nights in the common room?” They’d spent many an evening doing their homework together, though it was the time they’d spent together as kids, camping in the backyard and keeping each other’s secrets, that came flooding back in a big way. How had he forgotten about his best friend, about the way that Barry had always made him feel—like he could do anything?

  “Yes. You got me through statistics and that last semester of geometry that they made me take.”

  “I thought you’d given up.” Though he probably should have known better.

  Barry chuckled. “I’ve never given up on anything in my life. I went into the Marines, ended up assigned to some pretty Marine-like places, and when my tour was over, I thought of re-upping, but went back to college instead. I graduated a year ago and decided to put both my Marine training and business skills to good use, so I started a security business. A number of the people I served with have been instrumental in helping me get it started, and they recommended me for some of my first jobs. We help each other out whenever we can.” He paused for a few seconds. Phillip knew that people who had your back, no matter what, were rare and precious. “At the moment I’m between clients, which is fine. It gives me a chance to relax a little.” His blue eyes were the color of the sapphire ring that he wore on his left hand at that very moment.

  “That’s incredible. Not that you graduated—I always knew you were smarter than I was in a lot of ways. You understood how the world worked, and that’s something I still don’t think I’ve figured out.” Sometimes he wondered if he ever would. Oh, Phillip understood his gaming piece of the world, and he dominated it, lived it, but the rest sometimes left him more than a little confused. “So, this security business of yours… what made you decide to go out on your own?” He wanted to keep Barry talking, just to hear that deep, warm, “blanket wrapped around you” voice.

  “I was working in Washington for a while doing personal security for another company, but I had a disagreement with my client. He thought he should be able to drink, swallow, and snort whatever he wanted, but I wasn’t going to be privy to that. I quit and returned here to try to make it on my own.” He smiled. “But everyone is very aware of what you do. One of the guys in my unit had your game platform loaded, and I spent many off-duty hours using it to forget what was just outside my door. Those hours of distraction helped keep us sane.”

  “Would you like to join us? You might remember some people,” Phillip asked, feeling a little awkward, mainly because his belly was doing small flips of excitement. That was something he knew shouldn’t really be happening—at least not while he was attending the funeral of someone he’d had feelings for.

  “The people I came with are over there, and I should get back. I rode with them, and I don’t want them to leave without me. But maybe we could get some dinner later. It would be great to catch up.” Barry’s genuinely warm expression—and the fact that it would be amazing to catch up on old times—had Phillip nodding, some of the funeral blues slipping away as remnants of an old attraction that he’d thought long dead fluttered back to life.

  “I think I’d like that,” he breathed, not trusting himself at that moment not to break down. Phillip pulled out his wallet and handed Barry a card. “It would be nice to have a quiet dinner.” And maybe they could not talk about funerals and about friends and boyfriends dying. After the last few hours, Phillip couldn’t take any more.

  “I’ll text you with a restaurant, say around seven?” Barry asked, and Phillip nodded. Maybe this terrible day could have some sort of decent end. “I’ll see you then.” Barry shook his hand firmly enough to clearly communicate his enthusiasm and then turned to rejoin his friends.

  Phillip sat back down next to Bethany, who was talking to the others at the table in hushed tones. Phillip wondered if someone else had died, but the discussion seemed to have moved on from death to baby names. Bethany didn’t know the gender of the baby, but had chosen Anthony for a boy and Roberta for a girl. Phillip had no opinion on either name, so he smiled and nodded when it seemed appropriate and wondered just how long he’d need to stay.

  After a few minutes, the conversation began to lag, and Phillip stood up to leave, saying goodbye to everyone at the table. He hugged Bethany and handed her a card, asking her not to be a stranger and to be sure to send him a birth announcement. He shook hands with the others and left the church, taking deep breaths of fresh air as though he were starving.

  Twenty minutes later, Phillip was back at his office, greeting his coworkers. Technically they were his employees, but he didn’t see them that way. In order for this company to prosper, he believed it was important for everyone to work together.

  “How was it?” Leonard asked as Phillip passed his desk.

  Phillip stopped, not sure how to answer. “It was a funeral.” He paused, and Leonard leaned forward.

  “Is there something I can do for you? You look like you’ve been through the wringer. Can I get you something? Have you eaten?” He was already picking up the phone. “Ariotos will deliver—either here at the office or to your loft.”

  “No, thanks. I’m not hungry. I’m just going to work for a while. But thanks.” He went into his office, keeping the door open so people would feel free to talk to him. Then he went through the things he had asked Leonard to get for him and got to work.

  Since he had no meetings, the rest of the day was his, and Phillip intended to make the most of it. Familiar tasks and routine soothed him, shoving the revelations he’d learned at the funeral to the back of his mind. He still wasn’t sure what it all meant. Three people he’d somehow been involved with were dead, all in accidents. On an intellectual level, Phillip knew he’d had nothing to do with their deaths, but it was hard not to feel guilty.

  Phillip wasn’t one of those people who wanted for things. He had plenty of money, and the ability to do what he really loved. There were few people in the world who could say that. It wasn’t his career that he questioned—it was his love life. Phillip had friends, mostly women, and they tended to look after him, much like Bethany had done at the funeral today. But for so long, Phillip had been alone. He met guys… and then they’d leave. It was as if the universe wanted
to punish him.

  “Do you need anything else?” Leonard asked. “If you want to stay, I can order us some dinner.”

  Phillip checked his phone. After seeing a text from Barry, he responded quickly, agreeing to Barry’s choice of restaurant. “That’s okay. Go on home and have some fun. I have a few things to finish up, and then I’ll be heading out too.” Leonard spent way too much time at work. He deserved a life of his own, even if Phillip couldn’t seem to find one. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He flashed Leonard a quick smile and turned back to his computer, checking the time. There was still half an hour before he had to leave.

  He freshened up and felt a twinge of excitement thinking of Barry as he left the bathroom, shut down his computer, and left the office, saying good night to the last few people still at their desks.

  Barry had been his best friend growing up. They did just about everything together, and even though Phillip was a few years younger, it didn’t feel that way. Unfortunately, when life separated them, they weren’t in a position to do anything about it.

  “Are you the last man standing?” Phillip asked as he entered the intern work area. Carl, short for Carlyle, sat at his desk.

  He lifted his gaze, smiling nervously as he tilted his head slightly to the side. Then he seemed to remember where he was and sat straighter in his chair. “The others went to get coffee. We’re going to be here a few more hours, I think. We want to test the newest version of Harbinger of Doom.”

  Damn, he was jealous. Part of Phillip would have loved to be able to stay with them, but he wouldn’t change his plans for anything.

  “Did you eat?” Phillip asked, and Carl shook his head.

  “We figured we’d get something when we leave.”

  “How about pizza? I’ll have some delivered to Manny, the supervisor in customer service. You can’t game on an empty stomach.” With a smile, he said good night, then headed back toward customer service.