Page 91 of Fragile

Sticking it on the mirror, I then glanced around Gabriel's space, taking in the neatness and how much I missed that bed. It had only been a few weeks but it felt like forever since we’d be properly intimate.

As I was leaving, I noticed another archive box next to his chair. The envelope that Max had signed for a few weeks ago was sitting stuffed down the side of the box. Turning, I leaned down and picked it up. I remembered it well as the handwriting was large and almost illegible but you could just make out Gabriel’s name, although it wasn’t spelt correctly. It remained unopened so maybe he hadn’t seen it. Trying to be helpful, I lifted it and placed it on his desk where his new laptop was. The last one was stolen the night of the break-in and so he’d had to buy another and upload all his old work from the Cloud.

As I walked past the kitchen, Asher shouted from his position by the TV that he’d see me at Felice’s later as he was waiting for Mark.

Whilst I was waiting for the lift, Asher called out, “Oh, there’s some post for you on the kitchen counter.”

The lift arrived, but feeling curious, I dashed over and lifted the envelope with my name on it. It was a large manilla one and on the franking label were three welcomed words.

A zoo of butterflies went off in my stomach. The envelope was from the Royal Ballet School and in it would be the reply to my request to join the audition process.

Shit!

Thirteen

Gabe

Hitting the send button, I sent an email to formally notify the management of Cayton Lodge Children’s Home that the case was going to court. I then powered down the computer and made my way into Gavin’s private bathroom. He’d said I could use his PC as my new office was currently being repainted from the garish colours my predecessor had chosen. Fuck me, who painted an office terracotta?

Cayton Lodge had been under investigation for mistreating its inmates. Yes, they were criminals of a sort, petty thieves or responsible for causing GBH and other such shit, but they were still kids. Human rights laws existed for a reason and I would ensure that any motherfucker that put their hands on a child would pay.

I showered and readied myself for Max’s birthday piss-up. It was at Felice’s, the restaurant where Leonie worked and she would join me and the boys for drinks when she’d finished her shift. I smiled as I thought about her last note that I’d found in my room. I’d returned the favour, although my message had been much more perverse.

Staying away from her had been near impossible. The vision of her naked body bouncing on my cock was a regular occurrence as was how she touched herself when I’d ordered her to.

Although she’d been a virgin when I had taken her that first time, Leonie had been a fast learner. Especially when she took me in her mouth, and swallowed everything I had to give her. I had also been surprised that she possessed a kink (Max would be proud) and I had enjoyed slapping her pert arse to the point of pain. Something she fucking loved. Ah, memories. Not being physically intimate with her had made me feel like a druggy without his fix.

Those memories made me hard and sexually frustrated, my hand doing little to replace the heaven which sat between her thighs. And the fact that I wasn’t and didn’t want to fuck anyone else spoke volumes. Leonie was on my mind-twenty-four-seven both in and outside of the bedroom. It was getting to the stage where our lives were already tangled together and there was fuck all I could do about that. My resolve to friendzone her was disappearing faster than Max’s ability to turn down a willing woman.

In respect of my criminal connections, it being the main thing which kept me away from Leonie. Things were moving in the right direction. My father was officially too weak to do Gerard’s dirty work. In respect of stepping into my father’s shoes, he also appeared to have gotten the message that I was sticking with Preston Jones. I was doing good work there, shit that was important to me. Whether he would accept that long-term and move the fuck on was another matter.

During one visit where my father was heavily sedated, he spoke about problems brewing in the ranks of the Kinlan family. Something to do with his latest wife and her daughter but I’d paid no attention. I didn’t give a shit about them, as long as they continued to back the fuck off, that’s all I cared about.

After sending a couple of emails from my phone I received a text from Max. Get your arse over here, I’m already on my third round and you’ll have to catch up. Who works on a fucking Saturday?

Patience. I’ll be there when I’m there, dickweed. I messaged back, purposefully winding him up.

Leonie has loads of guys checking her arse out.

And that did it. I’m on my way.

When I got to Felice’s, I was met by the big man himself. He explained that Leonie was a hit with the customers which didn’t surprise me. I listened and nodded, hiding my jealousy when he explained how people kept asking for her phone number. As you can imagine, that pissed me off to no end.

Felice pointed me in the direction of Max’s party with a note to say he’d had to tell them to keep the noise down a couple of times. Typical. You couldn’t leave these guys to it for long, they were all professionals but total pissheads when let loose. You could tell they didn’t get let out to play often.

To say it was still early evening, the party was in full flow. It was being held in a side function room past the bar. The area was spacious and had tables with plenty of chairs and there was a pool table in the middle where a game was ongoing. I nodded a greeting to a group of guys who worked for Max. There was plenty of floor space and a few girls were dancing to a song by Coldplay, a band I hated with a passion. I paid them no attention. The chatter, laughter and occasional haggle from the pool game blended in with the music.

I didn’t realise Max knew so many people, there had to be about forty guests altogether. I spied the guys sitting at another bar, smaller than the one in the main restaurant. They were gathered in a cluster with Luca and Miles sitting on tall barstools. Out of all my friends, Miles was the least drunk and sat there on his phone, looking cool and competent as usual.

As Luca saw me, he smiled. Max rubbed the back of his neck before twisting to face me. Adam, Sam, and Dale were all watching the pool game and they raised their beers in salute as I passed. I was surprised Sam had been allowed out, he was usually banned from drinking in public by his girlfriend. Apart from our game nights, they spent most of their time immersing themselves in shagging, weed and Fortnite. And in that order.

“About fucking time. What you having?” Max said with a belch, swinging one large inked arm around my shoulders. I noticed he wobbled a bit.

“You’re not wasted already? I thought it only started a couple of hours ago?” I chuckled.

“So what? It’s my birthday,” he replied with a toothy smile.

I ordered a shot of whisky. Settling myself on one of the stools before scanning the room for Leonie.

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