the moment, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t get intimate. A thought occurred to him, and he laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I have a Cookie, and you have a Chip.”
Sacha blinked at him. “What?”
“Our dogs.”
“You’re such a dork,” Sacha said, shaking his head at Gio, his eyes alight with amusement.
“Imagine if Cookie’s name had been Salsa. Then we’d have had Salsa and Chip.”
Sacha didn’t look impressed. “That was an Ace-level joke right there.”
“Or Banana. Banana Chip.”
“No one in their right mind would name their dog banana.”
“What about Potato?”
Sacha arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m done with you now. We’re done.” He made to get away from Gio, who only held on tighter.
“Wait, don’t go! I’m very serious about our relation-Chip.”
“Nope. There’s a line, Gio, and you just crossed it.”
Gio threw his head back and laughed. Oh, having Sacha for a boyfriend was going to be even better than he expected.
Nine
The moment Joker stepped outside, he knew he should have declined the invite. What the hell had made him think he could play this part? Already his collar and bow tie were too tight, but he refrained from tugging at it. Thank God the weather was still cool enough in the evenings where wearing a tuxedo outdoors wasn’t a recipe for heatstroke, especially since he was already sweating, and not because of the heat.
A live orchestra played some kind of jazzy music beneath the huge white canopy decorated in twinkling white lights, while people dressed in expensive designer tuxedoes and gowns laughed and chatted with champagne glasses in their hands.
When Gio had asked him to be his date, Joker had been reluctant, but he hadn’t wanted to let Gio down. Everything with them was still so new, and he cared about Gio. A lot. He wanted to show his support, so he’d agreed to the date. Fancy parties were nothing new to Joker, but most of the time, he was at an event as part of the security, not as a guest. His job was to keep people secure, not make conversation with them. Usually, they had no idea he was there.
“Ready?” Gio asked, holding his arm out to Joker, who took it.
“Yep.”
Nope. So much nope. A big fat nope. But he’d do this. Maybe if he thought about the week they’d had before this, he’d keep in mind what things were like for them outside these events.
This past week had been fun, and Joker couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much. Gio and Chip were a hoot together, and as much as Joker pretended their antics were ridiculous, he couldn’t help how stupidly happy it made him.
Gio had taken time off, and even on the days he worked, he finished what he was doing to spend time together. He’d asked Joker to stay with him, and Joker had packed a bag and stayed pretty much every night over at Gio’s with Chip. At first he worried they’d get on Gio’s nerves, but the guy genuinely wanted to hang out with him and his dog. It seemed like the more time he spent with Joker, the more he wanted him around.
Somehow Joker wasn’t surprised Gio was a bit of a homebody. He enjoyed spending time with their friends, but he seemed to enjoy lounging around the house watching movies, streaming TV shows, swimming in the pool, or going down to the beach just as much.
They’d gone to two training sessions with Cookie where Gio took to working with the happy golden retriever as if they’d been together for years. Cookie would be coming home with Gio tomorrow, and after half an hour at this shindig, Joker knew he’d made the right choice. Gio needed Cookie. As much as Joker cared about Gio, the chances of their relationship working out was pretty slim. Love had never been in the cards for Joker, and he didn’t see that changing anytime soon. Not that he wouldn’t enjoy their time together while he could. Joker ignored the pain in his heart but accepted it for what it was. If Joker wasn’t around, he’d feel better knowing Gio had Cookie to take care of him.
“Are you okay?” Gio asked quietly as they made their way through the crowd, Saint trailing close behind in his tuxedo so he wouldn’t stand out as much. Blending in at these events could be challenging when you were over six feet tall and built like a brick wall. Tonight’s party required security to be discreet, so most of the bodyguards Joker