Valley of the Dudes Read Online Free PDF Page B

man next to Roy. The man leaned toward Rush and smiled. He
     
extended his right hand and said, “I’m Lance Sharp. Are you a friend of Cody’s?” While
     
he smiled, he looked directly into Rush’s eyes.
     
Rush’s heart began to beat faster; his palms became damp. But he clenched one
     
fist behind his back and reached out with the other to shake Lance’s hand. Trying to be as
     
cool and expressionless as he could, he smiled and said, “I just met Cody. We live in the
     
same building. I think you’re my new boss. It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Sharp. I’m
     
Rush Goodwin.”
     
Roy wasn’t paying attention to them. He was staring backstage, looking for a
     
glimpse of Cody. Lance smiled and tilted his head to the side. “You’re the new guy at the
     
office? It’s nice to meet you, Rush. I heard all about you from Esther. She told me what
     
Bart did to you this morning. He shouldn’t have sent you to Radcliff’s dressing room that
     
way. It wasn’t nice. You should have been prepared.”
     
Rush smiled and shrugged, trying hard not to stare directly at Lance’s magnificent
     
lips. It was hard not to grab Lance’s head, pull it toward his face, and kiss him. Rush had a feeling that everything about this man tasted wonderful. “I’m okay,” he said, joking, “I
     
ducked just in time. The blow dryer flew right over my head.” Then he shrugged again
     
and laughed.
     
“How do you think the show went?” Lance asked.
     
“I loved it, Mr. Sharp,” Rush said. “I heard Cody sing this morning while I was
     
delivering the contract to Radcliff, and I thought he was wonderful then. But on stage
     
tonight, he blew me away.”
     
“Please,” he said, “call me Lance.”
     
Rush blinked and smiled. “Are you sure? We just met, and you’re my boss.”
     
Lance moved closer to him and placed his palm on the small of Rush’s back. He
     
leaned into his ear, in a seductive way, and whispered, “I insist.”
     
When Lance’s warm, sweet breath touched the tip of Rush’s earlobe, he lowered
     
his eyelids and smiled. On the outside, his hands were steady and his voice was level. But
     
on the inside, with Lance’s hand on his back, his entire body was ready to explode in a
     
way he’d never experienced. Suddenly, there had never been another man in Rush’s life.
     
Harold didn’t exist. If there ever was such a thing as love at first sight, meeting Lance
     
Sharp that night confirmed all of Rush’s expectations of what it felt like.
     
Chapter Four
     
After the show, they all went to a small, dark bar a few blocks from the nightclub
     
and sat down at a round booth with red leather seats. It was one of those long, narrow
     
New York bars where people walked with care so they wouldn’t bump into each other.
     
Cody and Roy sat together. Joey Delaney and his handsome blond lover, Anderson, sat
     
next to them. Lance Sharp took control of everything and guided each one of them
     
toward their seats.
     
Rush watched every move Lance made. He even noticed that when Lance smiled,
     
the right side of his face went higher than the left.
     
When the last man was seated, Lance smiled at Rush and said, “You can sit here,
     
right next to me.” Then he placed his palm on Rush’s back and gently pushed him
     
forward.
     
Cody gave Rush a look. But Rush ignored him, maintaining a blank expression.
     
Then Lance ordered a round of drinks for everyone, and when the drinks arrived
     
he stood up to make a toast. “I have an announcement to make,” he said, holding a
     
martini glass up high. “I didn’t say anything to anyone but Roy, but there were a few
     
producers from a record company in the audience tonight and they loved the show. They
     
want to offer Cody a contract, and they want to fly Joey out to Los Angeles to audition
     
for a new TV series that involves music they think he’s perfect for.” He raised his glass
     
higher and said,