Chapter 1

1

Former local high school football star, Mitch Crestfield, hits it big. Wins lottery.

Billy Grant studied the black-and-white photograph on the front page of the small town paper. It was an old one from Mitch??s senior year. A high-school-senior-aged Mitch, dressed in the school football uniform, smiled from the photo.

The winning numbers were 8 15 28 31 34 2.

??It was just a quick pick,?? Crestfield told this reporter. ??Spur of the moment kinda thing while I was getting gas.??

Crestfield bought the ticket at the Chevron Quik Mart.

Billy glanced at his watch. He was due to meet his brother, Andy, at the parking lot of a popular bar soon for Mitch??s party.

He wondered again if he should even be going. He hadn??t faced Mitch, really, in years, but Andy had insisted.

And now Mitch had won the lottery. Literally. Last Saturday??s Lotto had been nearly fourteen million. Split between two tickets, so Mitch would get half. Well, minus the government??s chunk of course.

He set the newspaper down and went to the front hall of his small, one bedroom apartment and grabbed his leather jacket.

From outside, the sound of cars on the street in front of his apartment reminded him he couldn??t delay this any longer. It was now or never. He could call Andy and tell him he changed his mind or he could go to the party and see Mitch again.

* * * *

??Woo hoo!??

??The man of the hour!??

??Fucking fantastic!??

Billy knew by the screams and cheers coming from the front entrance of the bar that Mitch Crestfield hadarrived. His gut clenched in that familiar way it did whenever Mitch was near. As it had been doing for agood six or so years now.

??I??m going up there.?? His brother, Andy, and Mitch??s best friend since grade school got up from the table. ??You coming???

??No, he??ll make his way here eventually. I don??t want to seem like a groupie.?? Any more than normal,he silently added.

??Suit yourself.??

He watched his big, muscular older brother go off to greet the hero. What else was new? Some people had aperfect life. Back in high school when Billy had been a nerdy freshman, in his junior year, Mitch had been named quarterback for the school, while his best buddy, Andy, played tight end. Total jocks the two of them.

Mitch had received a scholarship to a prodigious university. He??d been very close to signing a big contract with the NFL when an injury to his shoulder had put an end to that dream. Still Mitch was smart as well as gorgeous and talented so he??d gotten his degree and opened his own restaurant supply business.

It wasn??t as though Billy??s life was total crap. He made a decent living as a graphic artist, had a nice car. Usually had no trouble picking up lovers when he wanted something.

??I shouldn??t have come,?? Billy mumbled into his beer. When Andy asked him if he??d wanted to come tonight for the celebration, which was made up of a bunch of jock types just like Andy and Mitch, he??d reluctantly agreed. Mostly because he hadn??t really seen much of Mitch since shortly after Billy had graduated high school.

Mitch came into Billy??s view at that moment, surrounded by adoring fans. Women, his buddies, workers from the bar. He wore a white T-shirt that could have been painted on his muscular chest. His biceps peeked out from the short sleeves, his washboard stomach evident beneath the tight cotton. Dark blue jeans hugged his thighs, and Billy would bet, his tight round ass.

A blonde draped herself over his arm, laughing. One arm reached up to cling to his neck, while her manicured fingers threaded into his silky dark hair.

Billy sighed. He knew only too well how silky the man??s hair was. Or had been when Billy had felt it sixyears ago. When Mitch had been his first lover.

It had been stupid to come tonight. Mitch wouldn??t notice him. And even if he did, it would only be as Andy??s dorky younger brother. The one time he??d seen Mitch since that night six years ago at a Grant family function Andy had included Mitch in, Mitch hadn??t even let on to anyone that he??d once pounded into Billy??s ass. Judging by the woman all over Mitch, he hadn??t even bothered letting anyone know his sexual preferences. Or he could be bisexual, Billy supposed.

??Grumpy, grumpy.??

Billy rolled his eyes as his own best friend, Sebastian Murata, plopped down on the chair recently occupied by Billy??s brother.

??When did you get here??? he asked.

Sebastian, his black hair streaked with blue and his dark eyes lined with blue kohl, smiled, and held upa drink Billy guessed was a pi?a colada. ??A few minutes before Mitch. I??ve been trying to get a drink ever since.??

The Japanese American man had dressed all in black and had the attention of both men and women in the barBilly noticed.