Page 25 of Diva Pop

Chapter Seven

Silas rolled the tumbler of whiskey between his palms, his feet resting on the tooled leather ottoman he’d picked up during a vacation in Turkey. He drew his eyebrows together. When was the last time he’d taken a break? Traveled to somewhere exciting? Truth be told, without someone he cared for by his side, he hadn’t bothered.

After drinking the rest of his whiskey, he set it down on the end table and stared at the blank screen of his TV mounted on the wall across from him. Nothing sounded appealing to watch, even though he’d made himself close his laptop so he could take some time to unwind.

Dammit.

How could he possibly relax when he was so worried about Jett? He’d replayed what happened between them over and over in his mind for the past few days, and still battled with whether he should’ve stayed, whether he should’ve gone to him.

His instincts had screamed that Jett was begging for his help the only way he knew how. But Silas’ determination to keep things professional had thwarted any hopes of reaching out to comfort Jett on a more personal level.

Quit fucking lying to yourself.

Yeah. He thought of Jett as his boy. It was wrong and meant nothing but trouble. Yet, how could he battle genuine feelings? Of all the damn things to happen, he was falling in love with a client. And not just any client, but one who hadn’t chosen him, one who’d been blindsided by the company Silas owed his allegiance to.

The situation went beyond being a fucking mess.

Silas plucked his phone off the table and checked the time. It was a little after ten on the East Coast. Master Zane, a longtime friend, would probably still be up. He knew Zane well enough to know that if he didn’t want to be disturbed, he’d have his phone on silent. If nothing else, Silas could leave him a message. It had been a minute since they’d had a chance to catch up, but the man was a fantastic mentor and always willing to help a struggling Daddy or lost boy.

“Silas? My God, how long has it been?”

“Too long, Zane. Much too long.”

Silas grinned. Even hearing the man’s voice helped. His work kept him based in L.A., but he missed being in New York and being able to take a weekend up in Boston, visit Club Sensation and hang out with Zane.

“Are you planning on making a trip? Or perhaps moving back to Manhattan where you belong?”

They both shared an easy laugh. “Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind more than once. I’ve met some great kinksters out here, have a couple clubs I enjoy going to on occasion, but it’s not the same. Back east is where my heart is.”

“I hear you.” Zane sighed. “There’s just something about New England that you can’t find anywhere else. I did hear from Gavin, though. He said you stopped by Kiss of Leather a few times.”

“Yeah, I go there once in a while, mostly to watch, and also to his friend’s place out in Altadena. Nothing against either club, but something about purchasing a membership felt like too much of a commitment.”

“Come on, confess.” Zane was back to chuckling. “You unconsciously want to escape L.A.”

Silas snorted. “There’s nothing unconscious about it, man. I do. Just need to figure out the best exit strategy.”

Damn. He hadn’t been on the phone with Zane for five minutes, and already he’d managed to admit something to himself that he’d been avoiding for too long. Whatever mysterious Master magic Zane possessed, it worked on him every time. However, there was still the real reason he’d called.

“I hope it works out that you can make it back here. A lot of the gang still ask about you.”

“Oh, man. That’s cool. Tell everyone I say hi. I’m crap at the social media thing and I’m usually going at it around the clock in this business.” Silas steeled himself to switch gears. “How are your boys doing? Still as adorable as ever?”

Zane barked out a laugh. “Adorable and complete troublemakers. But God, I love the hell out of those two.”

“That’s great to hear.”

“What about you? The last time we spoke you weren’t seeing anyone. Anyone catch your eye since then?”

Silas took a deep breath. “Caught my eye, and possibly my heart. However...it’s not that simple.”

“Oh? Why not?”

Silas took Zane through the basics of his brief history with Jett, including his take on why Jett acted out so much.

“Well,” said Zane. “I would tend to agree with you on why Jett struggles with his emotions. I probably don’t need to tell you this, but getting to know him more to discover what other traumas or issues he’s dealing with is necessary.”

“Uh...that’s the part I'm concerned with. Perhaps I shouldn’t do that, should keep business and personal life separate.” Silas rubbed his forehead. “I’ll be honest. I already feel as though I’ve crossed a line I shouldn’t have. Part of me thinks I should tell Gerry it’s not working out and step aside. However, I’m terrified that it would spell the end of the band, or at the very least, Jett would feel betrayed and abandoned by me.”

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