Better than Sex (San Francisco Sex Gods #1)

Chapter 19

NINETEEN

Spencer

When Spencer arrived home, Xander was waiting for him, his feet crossed at the ankle on the coffee table and his laptop balanced on his thighs. “Hey. How are you holding up?”

“Great. Never better,” Spencer answered, kicking off his loafers. On his way past the coffee table, he swatted at Xander’s feet. “No feet on the coffee table.”

Xander grunted in disapproval but lowered his feet to the floor. “What was that for?”

Spencer set his camera on the coffee table and slumped on the couch next to Xander. He heaved a sigh and dropped his head back against the cushion. “Sorry. Hearing from Garrett threw me for a loop.”

“I know.” Xander placed his laptop on the coffee table and turned to face Spencer. “How did he get your number, anyway?”

“Don’t know. I deleted the message as soon as I heard his voice.”

Xander’s mouth wobbled as he fought to suppress a smile. “Let’s recap. Garrett called. He’s in the city. And you have no idea why he’s calling or how he got your number because you deleted the message.” He patted Spencer on the chest. “Great talk, bro.”

“I panicked, okay?” Spencer tried to appear affronted, but when Xander giggled, he broke into laughter at the absurdity of the situation. “Fucking Garrett. Life is going great right now. The last thing I need is my dickhead ex waltzing in and fucking everything up.” Spencer’s head lolled to the side. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing?” Xander shrugged. “I know hearing from him freaked you out, but what’s the worst that can happen? He has your number, not your address. And if he somehow gets your address and shows up here, I’ll kick his ass for you. He’s taller than me, but I work out and have a lot of unresolved childhood trauma to fuel my rage.”

Spencer shook his head and smiled when Xander boxed the air with his fists. “Thanks, man.”

With the Garrett situation resolved as much as it could be, he turned his attention to his stained shirt, scraping at the faint blue streak with his fingernail. “Do you have anything that can lift a stain?”

Xander squinted at the stain. “What happened?”

“Ice cream spill.”

“Ice cream?”

“Give it a rest, Xander. I told you I’m not giving it up.”

“Where did the ice cream come from? Did you take your clients out after the photoshoot?”

“Nope. I was there with Mickey.”

Xander’s face froze. “You took him on a date?”

“Not a date. It was the get-together to see if he’s ready to have sex. It was your idea.”

“I said to get coffee. That’s what adults do. Going out for ice cream is what straight teenagers do before they dry hump in their parents’ driveway.”

“Like you would know anything about that—” Spencer was cut off by his ringtone. “Christ, what now? This better not be Garrett again.” He fished his phone out of his back pocket and groaned when he saw the name on the screen. “Ugh. Even worse. It’s Preston.”

He answered the call. “Hi, Dad.” He stretched his legs out and rested his feet on the table.

Xander scoffed and whispered, “What about no feet on the table?”

“It’s my table,” Spencer muttered back before making an affirmative hum in response to his father’s greeting.

Xander picked up his laptop and petulantly pecked at the keys. “At least I’m wearing socks.”

Spencer ran his fingers through his hair while his father droned on in his ear. “Yup, Wednesday sounds good. Text me the address of the restaurant. Oh, mmhmm. I’m looking forward to it too.” He hung up his phone and dropped it on the cushion next to him.

“Annual dad dinner?”

“Yup. The Wednesday after my birthday weekend. Did I sound appropriately excited?”

Xander chuckled. “Why did he pick Wednesday?”

“He thinks that’s my birthday. He gets it wrong every year.” His phone chimed with a text message. He grinned when he saw it was from Mickey.

MICKEY

Thank you for inviting me to get ice cream.

SPENCER

You’re welcome. I had a good time.

Spencer added a yum emoji and an ice cream cone to the end of his text.

MICKEY

Me too

The text bubble appeared and disappeared a couple of times before a blue heart emoji popped up.

His phone chimed with a text from Xander. The vomit emoji. He looked up to find his roommate reading his texts over his shoulder. “Do you mind?”

“What’s up with all the mushy stuff?” Xander asked. “First it was slow dancing. Now you’re going on ice cream dates and texting each other cute little emojis. I’m starting to wonder. Are you trying to get in his pants or ask him to the prom?”

“Dude, chill. It’s no big deal.”

Xander furrowed his brow. Something flickered in his eyes, and when he spoke his voice was quiet and serious. “Do you want to go out with Mickey?”

“What?” Spencer shook his head. “I’m not trying to date him. I’m easing him into the idea of having sex. We almost kissed this afternoon.”

“What do you mean by ‘ almost ’ kissed?”

“I wanted to kiss him, so I leaned in, but he spilled ice cream on my shirt. I went to the bathroom to wash up and saw the message from Garrett. That kinda ruined the moment.”

Xander closed his laptop. “Spence, I’ve been your best friend for a long time. Can I give you some advice?”

“I feel like I’m going to get it whether I want it or not.”

“If you drag this out too long, it’s going to get messy. Your birthday’s on Saturday night. Have your fun and move on. It’s better for both of you.” Xander stood and tucked his laptop under his arm. “Don’t give Mick the impression this is something more than it is. It’s not fair to him.” He went into his bedroom and closed the door.

Perhaps because Spencer had just talked to his dad, the click of the door’s lock mechanism brought up uncomfortable memories from his childhood. Xander’s room was once the guest room where Spencer would stay on the rare occasions when he accompanied his father to the city for his “business trips.” He’d sit in the room with his headphones on, brooding and playing video games, pretending he didn’t know what was going on in his father’s room with the woman who was always introduced as a “co-worker.”

Have your fun and move on.

The apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree.

I may be like my father, but I’m definitely not like Garrett.

Spencer stretched out on the couch and texted Mickey.

SPENCER

Sorry I had to leave this afternoon.

Something came up. It wasn’t you.

He held his phone to his chest and sighed angrily. Xander was the one building this into something it wasn’t. Acting as if he were going to end up in a relationship like Quinn. He scoffed. Mickey knew where they stood. He knew the rules. He wasn’t expecting a relationship or a commitment of any sort.

Chances were good they’d have sex on his birthday. Just sex. One and done. It was something Mickey wanted – otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to become a sex god.

His phone chimed with Mickey’s reply.

MICKEY

It’s okay. I understand.

SPENCER

At my party maybe we can pick up where we left off?

Mickey sent a blushing smiley face emoji as his reply.

He’s so damn adorable.

Spencer grabbed the strap of his camera and dragged it along the coffee table until he could reach it. He pulled up the spontaneous photo he’d snapped of Mickey outside the ice cream shop. His friend’s amber eyes glowed in the filtered half-light under the shop’s awning, brimming with longing and vulnerability.

Spencer recognized that look. The look of a man who’s hungry for touch. For proof that he’s handsome, and sexy, and desirable. It was the look of a man who needed the validation that comes from getting a man hard with need and lust.

He could give Mickey all of that.

They didn’t have to be in a relationship for Mickey’s first time to be a memorable experience. Spencer would take care of him, and make sure it was good.

He wasn’t going to “have his fun and move on.” He was going to share something honest and meaningful with a friend, and then release him into the world a more confident, self-assured man.

It was a gift, really. Not every person’s first time left them better off.