Page 52 of Played

Jason blew out a breath. He was on edge. All this shit from their past always haunted them, and now they would have to sit there and watch as people judged them. What did it matter what they did, who they were with? They hadn’t hurt anyone. “Sorry, I don’t like having to talk about our lives like we did awful things.”

Riot peered down at River, asking with just a look if she was sure she wanted to know everything. Once they told her the details of their lives, she might walk away from more than the opportunity that was being handed to her. She might walk away from him. Was he ready for that? Could he handle it? Fuck it, he needed to remember who he was—Johnny ‘Riot’ Meniere.No one could take that from him. “Let’s get this over with so we can start working on things.” He took River’s hand. She was going with him whether she was ready or not. He felt her resist slightly until he looked back at her, giving herthe look. He got a smile in return.

She had expected a hostile situation, but she was surprised by how laid back everyone was. It helped her relax too. “We can all sit in the dining room.” She watched everyone take seats, including Dan and Mal. “If I’m going to work with you, I would like to know everything.”

“It’s a lot of dirty laundry. Old laundry at that.” Michael drummed his fingers on the table, staring straight at her.

“Shit. Tell me so it’s on the table and we can deal with it.”

“What do you want to know exactly?”

“Why my brother continued screwing Laurel, knowing she was also doing the two of you.”

Jason splayed his hands out on the table, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in the wood pattern until Michael laid a strong hand over one of his. He told River matter-of-factly, “Me and Michael have been together since junior high school. Hell, truth be told I fell in love with Michael when he kicked Tom Powers’ ass in third grade after shoving Jason off the big slide.” River laughed at the thought of a little Jason being defended by a little Michael. Were either of them ever little? Both men were pretty big guys.

“Seven years ago, we weren’t ready to come out because of my mom. She would not have been able to handle it. Laurel walked in our room at Cypress’s—your house.” The bitch had stood there watching as they made love, she had even sat on the edge of the bed licking her lips as Jason caught sight of her. “She wanted to be part of our world, or she would call TMZ and tell them everything. She said she had taken photos.”

Michael reached over, taking Jason’s hand again as he took up the story. “We weren’t sure if she had any photos, but Cypress didn’t want us to take any chances. Jason’s mom had just come out of the hospital and her health was poor.”

“He took one for the team,” River mumbled.

Michael pointed at her. “Bingo.”

“That whore.” Now she understood all too well. “What does she have on you now? I know you’re together, a couple.”

“We came out a year after the crash. The thought of us not being true to who we are sickened us, especially since Cypress wasted the last six months of his life putting up with Laurel for us.”

“I saw her coming out of your room at the house more than once,” River blurted out.

“I thought it was interesting that you accused all of us of doing her. Cypress was a freak in the sheets and Laurel is nothing but a track tramp.”

“How so?”

“I have never touched her. Now, Michael and your brother…”

Michael saw River working out everything, so he added the missing piece of what had been said. He wasn’t proud of it, but he did it out of love for Jason and his mom. “When you saw Laurel coming from our room… it was because I—”

Holding up her hand, she changed her mind. “I don’t need to know the details.”

Michael never thought he would be sitting somewhere, trying to defend his decisions to keep his lover and partner safe, no matter who he had to fuck to keep their secret. “Now you see why I call it our dirty little secret. It’s the only thing I have to be ashamed of in my life.”

“It’s the past,” she told them. “It has nothing to do with the present or their future. None of you need to be worrying about Laurel and her pictures. All of it wouldn’t warrant a cover story.”

Riot never looked at her; he just remained where he sat, staring out the window. “There’s more.”

“I asked for all of it. I think I deserve to know everything.”

“All right.” What she had on her brother, she had on Fisher and Fisher’s wife. The three of them had a relationship and it worked for them. They had been in a polyamorous relationship since the meet. Cypress and Fisher had both wanted Fisher’s wife, and she wanted both of them. Fisher asked her to get married, and after, Cypress still enjoyed a relationship with them. “He had a lot of other women he bedded.”

“That I know about, I saw them doing the walk of shame many times.”

Fisher’s wife had met Laurel and got sucked in by her. Next thing, all four were having little sex parties and Laurel got what she needed to hold them to her. Lots of pictures. The bitch always laughed, saying pictures were worth a million in the right hands.

“What does she have on you?” River glanced at Riot, who still hadn’t looked at her.

“You.”

“What?”

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