“I can’t, Jason. I was told in confidence.”
“By Sebastian?”
Charlie nodded.
“Okay. Then I won’t push it. My relationship may be finished, but I will not affect yours as well.”
“No, Jason, you need to talk to him. Nothing is finished. Patrick loves you. He might not have said it yet, but everyone who sees you together can see it. You said nobody has ever gotten you like Patrick does, didn’t you?”
Jason nodded tearfully. There was nobody who understood him like Patrick. Jason knew he was hard work, but Patrick had so much patience for him. He could sensewhether he needed to push Jason or let him be. There was clearly something Patrick had in his past about cheating, though. Had George done something, or perhaps it was before then? They hadn’t really talked about Patrick’s relationships before George, as there had been nobody significant. Given what Charlie had just said, and the source, there had to be something in Patrick’s past about cheating. Would he see it the same way as Charlie? Jason had emotionally cheated on Grant, so it was just as bad as him sleeping with other men.
“What are you going to do tonight?” asked Paolo. “Are you going to stay here?”
Jason nodded again. He was too choked up to speak. There was no way he could see Patrick now, not when he was this upset. He’d say something he’d regret and never be able to take it back. It was something Jason struggled with the most. When he was feeling major rejection sensitivity, his emotions would become dysregulated and there would be no filter. Most people said he didn’t have a filter anyway, but they didn’t know how much effort it took to mask everything he was feeling day to day. His flirty banter and sex positivity were all part of his mask.
“You need to let Patrick know you’re okay, and agree when you’re going to speak to him,” said Charlie.
“I can’t think right now of when I can talk to him. What am I supposed to say?”
“Just send him a text,” said Paolo. “Let him know you’re at home with us and you’re safe. You can decide what to do tomorrow when you’ve had some sleep.”
“Do you want me to stay with you?” asked Charlie.
Jason wanted that more than anything. He didn’t want to be alone tonight, but the last thing he wanted to do was come between Charlie and Sebastian.
“What about Sebastian?”
“He’ll understand, and he’s with Patrick.”
Jason hesitated.
“I can survive one night without his dick, you know.”
Jason couldn’t help but laugh. Charlie always knew the right thing to say to him. He just needed some thinking time to decide what he was going to say to Patrick. Jason didn’t want to destroy what they were building together, but from what Charlie had said, he didn’t think Patrick would ever understand Jason’s perspective.
CHAPTER 14
PATRICK
Jason:I’m home safe with Charlie and Paolo. Will call you soon xxx.
That had been three days ago. The term “soon” was far too subjective. He didn’t want to come across as pushy, but the silence was driving him crazy. Patrick was supposed to be the daddy, yet Jason was clearly the one in charge. He just needed to know Jason was okay, and that would only be satisfied by seeing him with his own eyes. Sebastian had advised him to be patient, which was a skill Patrick had in droves, but something in his gut told him that keeping his distance from Jason was a mistake.
Patrick still had the envelope Grant had left. He hadn’t looked at its contents, and wouldn’t, but he knew they needed to talk about it. There was no way he was giving that kind of power to Grant Kincaid. The man didn’t deserve someone like Jason, though Patrick couldn’t argue that the guy wasn’t objectively handsome. He’d seen it for years in his career– the bad boy always got their guy, or girl, even when they didn’t deserve to– but not this time.
His diary was also in disarray. Milo was off sick, and all he’d had was a garbled voice message saying he wasn’tfeeling well. It had sounded like he was crying, but perhaps he was in pain with some kind of stomach infection. Milo could stay where he was, especially if he was infectious, but it had become clear in the last twenty-four hours just how much crap Milo kept away from him. As soon as he was back, he was getting a pay increase.
Patrick had received some more pictures of the deputy prime minister that were even more sexually explicit. It wasn’t clear if it was the same man he was with as before, but again, it was just the pictures and no note. Patrick got out his magnifier, trying to see if there was a way to identify the mystery man, but they’d been cropped expertly. There was no way to tell who it was.
“I think this is what you’re looking for,” said a voice, which snapped his attention up.
A dozen more photos were dropped on his desk. He looked up to see the grinning face of Grant Kincaid.
“How did you get in here?”
“I just walked in, and as your assistant is at home licking his wounds, I didn’t even get stopped outside your door.”
Grant took a seat and had the audacity to put his feet up on Patrick’s desk. He was tempted to call security, but they’d let him in, so who knew if they’d even be on Patrick’s side, and his journalist’s brain wanted to hear what he had to say. It was then something clicked from what Grant had said.
