Page 29 of Nothing But the Night (Basic Instincts 2)

Marc sighed. “What are you taking about? What kind of club is it?”

Jason reached for his pint. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of The Viaduct?”

* * **

Marc went home first as Jason said they couldn’t go to the club until much later. Jason had also warned him about the dress code.

“It changes most nights but, looking at their website, you could be asked to strip to your underpants. Wear something you don’t mind being shown in public,” Jason had said. Adding with a cheeky grin, “No washed-out old briefs.”

Marc hadn’t commented. He wasn’t as naïve as Jason seemed to take him for. Anyone who was gay in the Blyham area knew about The Viaduct. Marc had never set foot in the place himself, but Theo had taken some delight in telling him all about it. Theo had been a regular at the club since he’d been old enough to get his hands on fake ID.

Marc hurried to put together an overnight bag and used a booking app to secure a room at the Vermont Hotel. This had every indication of being a late night and he didn’t want to end it at Jason’s flat again. The detective was incredibly attractive, but their priority had to be finding out what had happened to his brother. Jason didn’t want to ruin things by falling for the man he’d hired to seek out the truth. They were lucky that they’d been able to write the other night off as a mistake and forget about it.Forget about it? Hardly. Marc doubted he would ever forget that, but they were mature enough to move on without fucking it all up.

He drove straight back to Byham and checked into the hotel. He’d reserved a decent sized executive room with a view of the river. It was Friday night, and the party crowds were already getting rowdy with stag and hen parties staggering between bars.

He showered and put on a pair of well-fitting black briefs with a white logo tastefully etched across thewaistband. He doubted they would pass as sexy or sleazy enough for The Viaduct, but they were as far as he was prepared to go. He put on jeans and a crew-necked T-shirt. Again, Jason had warned him to wear something he could strip out of easily should the need arise.

Marc stopped himself from doing a search on the venue and finding out exactly how dodgy the place was and called for a cab instead to take him back to The New Inn where he’d arranged to meet Jason at ten o’clock. He got there twenty minutes early. Marc would normally have felt self-conscious going into a gay pub on his own, but the last few days had knocked down some of the walls he’d built around himself.

He hurried from the taxi, through the rain, and went straight in. It was a lot busier than when they’d been there earlier. The music was loud but hard to hear over the even louder voices of the crowd. He shook the water off his jacket and wiped his fingers through his hair at the door, noticing the appraising glances he received from several of the men around the bar. He hoped no one recognised him and tried to start a conversation. It had been a lot of years since he’d been on TV, but this mostly mature bunch were old enough to remember his era onThe Partnership.

He ordered a glass of wine and waited close to the door so Jason would see him as soon as he arrived.

Marc felt hopelessly out of place. Was he too old for this? Going to bars on a Friday night?Not really. It had nothing to do with age. Rowdy night life had never appealed to him. Even when he was younger, he’d been too invested in work. He’d always had a job to get up early for most Saturdays. And even if there wasn’t, he couldn’t bear to waste a morning sleeping off a latenight on the town. Jack had been the more sociable partner in their marriage. He was the one who had arranged to meet up with people, who booked all their holidays and made sure Marc had a life outside of work.

Marc had enjoyed it then, because it had made Jack happy. They hadn’t spent a lot of time in the gay village. They weren’t that kind of couple, but came to celebrate Pride most years and Jack had liked to have a big night in the city around his birthday. Without Jack, Marc found little reason to come out.

But without him, there was little reason to stay home either.

That house hadn’t been the same since he died.

You’re getting maudlin. Remember why you’re here.

Theo had been the party boy of the family. He must have got a double share of the fun gene. He’d always known how to enjoy himself.

Marc glanced up as the door opened and was grateful to see Jason. The rain must have got worse in the time he’d been here—Jason’s hair was soaking. He shook his shoulders to dislodge the excess water and wiped the back of his hand across his face.

Marc’s heart beat faster.

Jason saw him and grinned. “Hell of a night we’ve picked for this.” He was wearing a dark bomber jacket, fastened to the neck. “How come you’re not soaked?”

“I got a taxi back here. Let me get you a drink to warm you up.”

“I’ll have a whisky, thanks.”

Marc squeezed his way to the now-crowded bar and ordered another glass of wine for himself and a double for Jason. When he returned, Jason had removed his jacket. He wore a grey T-shirt. The damp had causedhis nipples to stiffen, and they stood out proudly beneath the fabric.

Something else stiffened in Marc’s pants too.

He passed him the drink. “I wondered whether you might have gone alone. You didn’t seem keen on me coming along earlier.”

“I’m not,” Jason said, though there was nothing antagonistic in his tone. “I didn’t think you wanted to blur the professional lines any further than we have.”

Fair point. “I don’t.” The words sounded unconvincing, even to himself. Marc was already finding it difficult not to think about Jason’s beautiful, uncut cock and wondering whether it was hard inside his pants. He remembered just how good it had felt inside him.Focus. “I just…want this to move along. I need answers. You sounded confident today that you would get them.”

Jason shrugged. “It’s difficult to know. This might turn out to be a waste of time for both of us.” Then he grinned, displaying that sexy gap-toothed smile. “Though I’m grateful you’re with me after all. When I left the apartment, I realised that I didn’t fancy going to The Viaduct on my own.”

“You’ve been before?”

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