DEREK
“Are you serious?” asked Edward.
“Maybe it’s just dinner, rather than a date.”
“I don’t give a fuck what it is. Kieran is not going anywhere with Grant Kincaid.”
“That’s not really up to you, is it?”
Derek glared at his friend. He was right, of course, but that would not prevent Derek from putting a stop to this.
“Why don’t you talk to Daniel?” suggested Edward.
“Daniel Harper? What will he do?”
“He knows people, and everything. I understand a friend of his had some unpleasant business with Grant recently. He might give us some insight into how to tackle this.”
“No us, Eddie. You can’t get involved in this. If the press found out, you’d be fucked.”
“I’m well aware of that, which is why I suggested Daniel. There isn’t a problem that guy can’t fix.”
Edward was right. Daniel Harper was a brilliant lawyer, who had tried to poach Derek and Edward for his own firm years ago.
They’d met at industry events and become friends, although it had to be about a year since Derek had last seen him.
That was London for you. It could be ages between seeing a friend, although it didn’t diminish the relationship.
“I don’t really want to involve other people in this. It’s not like he’s a business associate we can swat like a fly. He’s a fucking mob boss, and one who seems untouchable to the police.”
“What if Kieran wants to date him?” asked Edward.
“Are you for real?”
“I’m just throwing out possibilities. Kieran is a grown man who can do what he wants.”
“Kieran doesn’t know what he wants.”
“That’s presumptuous of you, given you haven’t seen him in ten years. Maybe he likes his men to be a bit dangerous.”
“A bit dangerous?”
“Talk to Daniel, please. Before you rush in and do something that could get you hurt, or worse.”
“Yeah, you’re right . . . I’ll call him.”
It was the weekend, and Kieran hadn’t called Derek.
Had he been out on his date with Grant yet?
Had something more happened between them?
The last thing he wanted was for Kieran to become some plaything for a mob boss.
He didn’t know how Grant treated his sexual partners.
The guy gave off major alpha energy, although Derek didn’t get dom vibes from him, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
If Grant liked to dominate his partners but wasn’t part of the lifestyle, he’d be less likely to work within boundaries or respect things like safe words.
He was meeting Daniel Harper for lunch. The venue was, of course, Knights Corner. What had every queer person in the city done before this place opened? Derek wished a place like this had existed during his city days.
“Hello stranger,” said Daniel, standing up and giving Derek a hug.
“How do you look even younger than when I last saw you?”
“Regular sex with someone twenty years younger than me.”
Derek laughed. Daniel had always been blunt and a shameless flirt, especially after he’d gotten rid of his dick of an ex-husband.
He’d heard Daniel was now with a much younger guy, but given he hadn’t seen his friend in so long, he didn’t know how it had happened.
Derek had been convinced Daniel wouldn’t want to settle down again.
“Where is your young man today?” asked Derek
Daniel smiled in a way Derek hadn’t seen before.
“Josh is with his sister.”
“Have you moved him into your cave yet?”
Daniel chuckled. “Working on it.”
“You’re on the wine, I see. Did you want another?”
Derek scanned the QR code on the table to order another wine for Daniel and got himself a soft drink. He was working until four in the morning, so he didn’t want anything that would make him feel sluggish. Once the order was in, he leaned forward so he could whisper.
“What do you know about Grant Kincaid?”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “No small talk, I see. That’s a big question, Derek, and a conversation we probably shouldn’t be having here given his connection to this place.”
“What?”
“He’s related to one of the owners.”
“Who?”
“He’s Langdon’s stepdad, although it’s from when he was a kid. Mother is long dead.”
“But there can’t be ten years between them.”
“I don’t know all the history, but you know of Langdon’s close friends. The ones he refers to as his brothers?”
Derek nodded. He’d gotten to know Langdon since this place had opened, and he always spoke highly of his found-family brothers.
“There’s been some trouble with that group and Grant. So probably not a conversation we can have here. Is he trying to cause issues at the club or something?”
“No, nothing like that. He’s taken an interest in someone I know, who’s only twenty-eight.”
“Josh is twenty-five, and Grant is younger than me. He’s only just turned forty.”
“I don’t want him near Kieran.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
“You better not have fucked him, Daniel,” he growled, surprising both of them.
“That’s . . . interesting. I never had you pegged as the possessive type, Derek. Who is this guy?”
“He’s . . . well, he was . . . my stepson.”
Daniel snorted.
“What? I’m just protective of him because I’ve known him since he was fourteen.”
“That’s . . . less unethical.”
“It’s nothing like that, Daniel. I just don’t want him in the clutches of some gangster.”
“Okay . . . two things. First, Grant Kincaid is not some gangster; he is the gangster. Second, if it was just about Grant, then why did you get all growly at the thought of me fucking him? And to be clear, I haven’t.
I remember now, you talked about Kieran when you were having one of your drunken ramblings about regrets. ”
Derek felt his face heat at Daniel calling him out. The guy didn’t miss a thing, which was why he was the best at what he did.
“Look, I’m not going to unpack the whole stepson thing, because I get it. I mean, Josh and I are a little . . . unorthodox.”
“What do you mean?”
Daniel gave him a rundown of the connection between him and Josh. Derek was surprised, but he couldn’t deny the look on his friend’s face as he spoke about the man he loved. They were meant to be together.
“I appreciate you saying that, but it’s not the same thing. I never looked at him that way when he was a teenager. It’s just a physical reaction because he screams submissiveness and sadness.”
“Ah, your kryptonite.”
Derek snorted. “I know there’s no law against it, but it just feels . . . wrong somehow, so it’s not about me. I don’t want him anywhere near a mobster. The guy has killed people for fuck’s sake. Well, I’m assuming so. What happens if it doesn’t work out and Kieran knows too much?”
“I don’t know what you think I can do, Derek, but there’s no way I want to be on that man’s radar, for any reason.
All you can do is try to talk Kieran out of it, or monitor things in case they progress.
If you really want some advice, then talk to Langdon, but be careful, and I would do that as a last resort. ”
Derek nodded his agreement. There wasn’t much he could do.
Kieran was his own person and could do what he wanted.
It wasn’t like Derek could wade in as the protective father figure, especially after what he’d done, and his inappropriate thoughts would fade soon.
Derek wanted Kieran back in his life, and he wouldn’t do anything to risk that.
The club was packed out as usual on a Saturday night.
Thankfully, Neil had been present all week and seemed to be less distracted by whatever personal stuff he had going on.
Hopefully, he’d sorted things out. Omar was quiet but working at his usual frantic pace.
Derek would need to talk to him to find out what was going on.
He hated seeing people look sad. Although he didn’t want to pry into his employees’ personal lives, he’d be a terrible boss if he didn’t check in when it was clear something was bothering him.
Once the whole Kieran and Grant conversation had been put to the side, he’d enjoyed his lunch with Daniel.
The food was delicious as always at Knights Corner.
Derek was looking forward to meeting Josh, the young man who had somehow turned Daniel Harper into a gushing teenager whenever he spoke about him.
It made him a little envious. Derek hadn’t had a serious relationship since his second marriage ended.
The club was his significant other, but seeing Daniel and Edward all gooey over their partners made him feel lonely.
That two of his closest friends were both with men in their twenties made him think of Kieran again.
He looked up and had to do a double take.
Was that Kieran in his club again? The man looked directly at Derek and smirked.
His bleached hair, tattoos on full display, and eyes sparkling with mischief were the perfect combination.
Derek had always loved his partners being a little bratty and being able to put them in their place.
Not in a daddy way. He’d tried that, but it just wasn’t him.
He shook his head, getting thoughts of Kieran like that out of his head.
When Derek looked again, Kieran was right in front of him.
“Vodka and cock . . . I mean Coke, please,” he said with a smile.
Was he flirting? Or just being a brat? Derek smiled at him before making the drink.
He waved his hand when Kieran took out his card to pay.
There was no way he was going to charge someone who was like family to him.
Ten years may have passed, but Kieran was family – though he needed to be kept in that box, and Derek needed to stop staring.
Based on another smirk from Kieran, he’d picked up on something.
“What’s brought you here tonight?” asked Derek.
“Thought I might try out the facilities . . . again.”
Derek felt his stomach drop, but also noticed Kieran blush and look uncomfortable. The mask had dropped for a second. What was that about?
“Does Grant know you’re here?”
Kieran narrowed his eyes. Why the fuck had Derek asked that?
“I don’t give a fuck what he thinks, or you for that matter.”
Before he could say anything, Kieran was gone. Derek couldn’t go after him, as he had a crowd of thirsty and horny queens demanding service.
Over the next half hour, he couldn’t help but keep looking for Kieran in the crowd, wondering if he’d gone into the labyrinth yet.
There were many people in there, and they were free to do whatever they wanted as consenting adults, but not Kieran, which was irrational.
What he had noticed were a few guys approaching Kieran, and him shaking his head.
Maybe they weren’t his type. The club attracted an older crowd, and other than his staff, Kieran was probably one of the few people in the club who was under thirty.
There was a lull at the bar, so he looked for Kieran again.
Derek noticed a guy around his age, who also had a beard and tattoos, had Kieran pinned against the wall.
He wasn’t touching Kieran at all, but his presence was enough to keep him in place.
Kieran was smiling, but his body language said he wasn’t comfortable.
Should Derek check that he was okay? If he spotted something like this with any other customer, he’d ask his security to walk past. That usually caused the person to back off if anyone was being pressured.
Derek went to connect his radio when he saw the guy signal towards the labyrinth.
Kieran shook his head, and the guy grabbed his arm.
Kieran didn’t move, but he was saying something.
He wasn’t trying to fight him off, but the guy wasn’t taking the hint.
That was enough for Derek to fly out of the bar and head towards the corner they were in.
“Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes,” said Kieran, his voice filled with panic.
“Don’t be a fucking cock tease, you little slut.”
“What’s going on here?” asked Derek, trying to keep his voice calm, but he wanted to knock ten tonnes of shit out of this guy.
“None of your fucking business,” said the guy, who still had his hand on Kieran.
“This is my club, so everything in here is my business.”
“I’m just having some fun with my boy here, so there’s no trouble. It’s just a scene.”
“Is that true?” he asked Kieran, not wanting to give away that they knew each other.
Derek didn’t know what their relationship was. He had sensed a familiarity between them, nothing significant, but it was clear they weren’t strangers. That the guy could pass for Derek’s brother wasn’t something he was going to dwell on.
“Tell him, boy. Don’t make me punish you again.”
Again?
The flinch from Kieran was enough for Derek. He called for security.
“Take your hands off him and leave, or my guys will physically throw you out.”
“Do you know who I am? I could have this place closed down with one phone call.”
Derek snorted. He’d heard that line too many times before. He glared at the guy, who let go of Kieran. Before he could say anything else, two of his security guys were behind him.
“Escort this man outside. Lifetime ban.”
“What the fuck? You can’t do that.”
“Watch me. Now get the fuck out of my club.”
The security guys hauled him away. Derek had expected him to be shouting abuse, but he didn’t. It was clear he hadn’t wanted to go, but he knew better than to fight it.
“Come on,” he said to Kieran. “We can go to my office.”
“No, I just want to go home.”
“He could be waiting outside, so at least wait for a bit and I’ll get you a cab.”
Kieran looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded.
He was clearly shaken by what had just happened but wanted to appear as if it was no big deal.
It might have been ten years, but Derek knew when Kieran was putting on a front.
It was also clear that Kieran and the arsehole who’d just been thrown out were acquainted.
With this, and Grant Kincaid’s interest in him, Derek needed to talk to Kieran properly.
There was something going on with his former stepson, and he intended to find out what it was.