“I don’t know all the details. Charlie’s very cagey about it, because it’s Jason’s business, but from what I could put together, he had an abusive ex. That’s why he left Liverpool, and now he’s back on the scene.”
“Is he okay?”
“I haven’t seen him for a while, but Charlie sees him a lot still and hasn’t said anything. I know he had a tough time when he withdrew from that promotion opportunity, but Charlie said he got over it quickly.”
Patrick’s head was spinning. Jason had dropped out of the job he was going for, no doubt because of what his boss had said to him. She was supposed to have been a friend, and that’s how she dealt with someone who suffered from rejection sensitivity. And his ex? What was that all about? He’d never mentioned an ex, and Patrick had talked about George. Jason had asked a lot of questions and seemed genuinely interested. Why hadn’t he shared anything? Had he thought Patrick would judge him?
“I can hear your brain spinning from here,” said Sebastian,
They were in his gentlemen’s club, which was in his house. It wasn’t a club, really, it was just a lounge room with a bar in the corner, but it had that vibe to it.
“Sebastian, what’s the best bar to get a delicious piece of ass to fuck?” said a tall and handsome black man. He looked vaguely familiar.
“Ryder, you always know how to make a first impression. This is my friend Patrick.”
Ryder strode over and shook Patrick’s hand. There was a firmness to it, but he wasn’t being a dick and trying to crush his fingers.
“Heard a lot about you,” said Ryder.
“This is the fitness model. The Blanche of the group.”
Patrick snorted. He remembered now. Ryder was a social media fitness influencer and was part of Sebastian’s New York friends group. The guy was stunningly handsome, evenif he wasn’t Patrick’s type. He knew another alpha when he saw one. The guy didn’t give off daddy vibes, but it was clear he was someone who liked to be in control.
“So, where can I go? I need some British booty to sink my meat into.”
Patrick cracked up laughing. “Please tell me you don’t use that as a line on people?”
“Nah. I’m just fucking with ya, but I need to get laid. Where’s good?”
“What are you looking for tonight?”
“Don’t mind, but guys need less effort from me to jump on board.”
“Try Mickey’s. It’s where I met Charlie.”
“No offence, big guy. I’m not looking for that kind of thing.”
“We were the exception, trust me. You want to get laid, go to Mickey’s.”
“Fantastic. I’ll see you in the morning, then. Nice to meet you, Patrick.”
He turned and left. Patrick couldn’t help but chuckle.
“He’s something, isn’t he?” said Patrick.
“Yeah. Charlie says he’s the Jason of our group.”
Patrick growled without thinking.
Sebastian burst out laughing. “Oh, my friend. You’ve got it bad for him, haven’t you?”
Patrick scowled at Sebastian, which just made him laugh more. Patrick needed to talk to Jason to check he was okay.
The office was crazy busy, which was unusual at Christmas. Parliament was in recess, which meant fewer political scandals. The royals were at Balmoral, and celebrities were typically quieter over Christmas. You got the odd juicy story, but if you could sit on something over the holidays, you would. Readers were busy with their families too, so were lessinterested in reading the news. By January, though, they had no money left, their diets and other resolutions had been abandoned, and they were more inclined to lap up other people’s misery.
“Boss, we’ve got something on the Grant Kincaid story,” said Milo, walking in with a file.
He hadn’t touched the Kincaid story for months after the trail had gone dead. Patrick was aware he’d moved to London and was building his empire in the south, having monopolised the north.
