“I wasn’t there, but I heard enough from the others. How are you feeling?”
“I just need some paracetamol, and then I can get going.”
“We’ll need to get you checked over by a medicalprofessional. It’s policy. But your husband has promised to take you to the hospital.”
Jason felt his stomach drop. Grant knew he was here and was obviously waiting outside for him. Jason wondered if he could insist on being taken by ambulance to the hospital, but that would only delay the inevitable.
It was twenty minutes later, once he’d given a statement, that he was walking out the prison gate. The familiar sleek black Mercedes was waiting for him. The rear door opened, and out stepped his husband. He was wearing a suit, which always did it for Jason. He had a subscription to a site that specialised in suit porn. Grant was twelve years older than Jason and was drop dead gorgeous. Jason hadn’t been able to believe his luck the night Grant had picked him up in a bar four years ago. Who knew how much his life would change from that one moment of fate?
“Baby, come here,” said Grant, holding his arms open.
Jason rushed to him. He loved cuddles, and his husband gave the best hugs. Grant had been so busy with work lately that Jason rarely saw him, and he missed this connection. He knew he was needy, and in the beginning Grant had always met those needs, but over the past year Jason had felt neglected.
“Let’s get you checked out, shall we?”
“I’m okay. Just a bit of a headache.”
“Best to be safe, and I had to promise the screws I’d get you checked out, or you’d still be in there.”
Grant helped Jason get into the car before getting in the other side. His driver sped off like they were going drag racing or something, and Jason frowned. What was the guy playing at?
Within five minutes, they were outside a private hospital. Of course Grant wouldn’t have taken him to the NHS. He wasn’t the most patient man. He’d want Jason to be thoroughly checked over, and not just paid lip service. Jason knewGrant loved him, but he missed the man he married. There’d been a time when Jason had been the centre of Grant’s universe. Now his work came first, and Jason knew that was important, even if he turned a blind eye to what his husband did for a living. It was easier to plead ignorance.
“Before we go in, you’re going to tell me what happened,” said Grant. “Then you’re going to explain why you didn’t tell me where you were going.”
Jason had known this was coming, but he’d hoped they’d be home so he could use his persuasive techniques to keep Grant distracted. It looked like he’d just have to do it now. He scooted over to his husband and sat in his lap. Grant chuckled, knowing what Jason was up to, but he didn’t stop him.
“Why don’t we check that you don’t have a concussion before you show me how sorry you are?”
Jason pouted and fluttered his eyelashes. That always worked, and Grant was smirking at him. He had to use his best asset, so he wriggled his arse on Grant’s lap, and could feel his husband was happy to see him. Before he could refuse, Jason slipped into the footwell and unbuckled Grant’s trousers. This was where Jason held all the power.
It had been a month since the disastrous visit to his mother in prison, and he hadn’t heard a peep from her. Grant had been furious when Jason explained what had happened. Grant said he would “deal with it,” and that Jason was to let him know if he heard from either his mother or stepfather.
Out of the last four weeks, Grant had been away for half that time, and when he had been home, he’d worked until late and had slept in the spare room as he didn’t want to disturb Jason. Waking up alone was something Jason didn’t like, and he didn’t enjoy feeling so isolated. He had colleagues at work, but no real friends. Grant had warned Jason to be careful about making new friends, in case theywere using him to get to his husband. This had made Jason paranoid, so he didn’t befriend anyone. The only exception was Jane, his boss. She didn’t know what Grant did for work, but she knew Jason’s parents were in prison and why. It wasn’t something he shared with many people. His four closest friends at university knew all about his past – well, the majority of it. The only one who knew everything was Grant, and he’d threatened bodily harm to his parents, which Jason had asked him not to do. He wasn’t sure why, other than that if he retaliated criminally, he would feel like he was no better than they were.
Jason met Jane for lunch at their favourite deli before taking their food to the docks. It was a nice day for spring. The sun was out, but there was a chill when you were in the shade. They watched the ships and ferries come in and leave the port as they talked about a restructure Jason was handling. He was an HR Business Partner for an insurance firm in Liverpool, and Jane was ten years older than him and headed up the whole HR division. As a queer woman, she was a huge role model to Jason. It was a tough industry for women, let alone a queer one, and she was at the top of the tree.
“I’ve got some news,” she said.
“Should I be worried?”
“No. It’s a good thing. But I wanted to tell you myself before I tell the rest of the team.”
His heart sank, knowing where this was going.
“I’ve been offered a new role as Chief People Officer. This one sits on the exec, which shows how much they value the people agenda.”
That had always been a bugbear of Jane’s. Her role did not have a seat at the top table, and reported to the Chief Operating Officer. The guy had such a wide remit; he focussed his attention on data and tech because that was his background.It gave Jane the autonomy she loved, but it meant she didn’t have a champion in the boardroom.
Jason was happy for her, but he also didn’t do well with change. At least she wouldn’t be accused of having favourites anymore if she wasn’t his boss, and he could see her as much as he wanted outside of work. If he was stuck on something, he’d still be able to bounce ideas around with her.
He had an awareness that Jane was still talking, but he was too in his head to make out what she was saying. There was a positive in all this, he rationalised. He could see Jane as often as he wanted, without her having any restrictions about overstepping the blurred line between friend and boss.
“You’ll have to come and visit me. You can pick up with your old uni friends.”
The words snapped him out of his spiralling thoughts.
“What do you mean by visit?”
