Page 33 of Nothing But the Night (Basic Instincts 2)

As they headed for the stairs, he took a last look around. The slings were still in action. The athlete was getting his balls slapped on the bench and the blond boy was still turning on the lazy Susan. Marc struggled to make much sense of it. It was far removed from hisown experiences of sex and the things that turned him on. There was a darkness here he did not understand.

He had to adjust his cock again as he followed Jason to the exit.

Despite everything, he was harder than ever.

Chapter Thirteen

“I Thought We Weren’t Going to Do This Again.”

Marc opened the mini-bar and extracted two small bottles of whisky. He held them up for Jason’s inspection. “Will these do?”

“Better than nothing.”

They were in Marc’s hotel room. It had gone one o’clock. He’d had no intention of inviting Jason back, but after what he’d just experienced, all the things he’d seen at The Viaduct, he couldn’t return alone. He would explode if he didn’t have a chance to talk and debrief.

He took a bottle of water from the fridge to loosen the whisky if needed and put them on the coffee table. The executive room was a decent size. It was L-shaped, with the bedroom on one side and a sofa and sitting area around the corner.

He wondered if Theo had filmed in this room or entertained any of his clients and immediately shut down the idea. The lid had to go firmly back on that box for now.

Marc sat in the chair across from Jason and poured his whisky into a tumbler. He added the same amount of water. Jason took his neat.

“I tried to warn you not to go.” Jason sat with one arm along the back of the sofa, his gaze fixed on Marc. Those large blue-green eyes were soft in the lamplight.

“I know. I take full responsibility for myself. And you were right. It was lot.”

“You’re thinking about your brother in there, aren’t you?”

“I’m trying not to.” He swallowed. “But yes. It’s impossible not to. Is that what he was into? Group sex? Orgies?”

Jason crossed his knee over his ankle. It was raining again. Marc had left the curtains open, and it skittered down the window.

“Does it matter if he was? It’s a shock at first. But I don’t think it’s a bad as you think. Everything that goes on in there is consensual. You heard the guy behind the bar. They need to keep everything above board. They can’t risk losing their licence. What was going on looked kind of intense, but it was all harmless. No one really got hurt.”

“Even the guy who got his balls smacked. That had to hurt.”

“You know what I mean. He was doing what he wanted.”

“And that guy with the mask? Shit, that was creepy. How can anyone find that a turn-on?”

Jason let out a soft chuckle. “All the colours of life and sex. Though I’ll admit, the mask was scary. The guy under it was probably a pussy cat. A social worker or primary school teacher.”

“Now, that is a scary thought.”

“Look, I know it might not seem it, but that place has earned its place in the community. Last year and over the winter, when the Blyham Strangler was at large, The Viaduct offered a safe haven. Where guys could hook up without any fear they were taking a psycho home with them.”

Marc hadn’t thought about it that way. The murders committed by the so-called Blyham Strangler had been horrific, but he didn’t have any first-hand experience of the fear and terror they had caused within the city. Marc didn’t frequent the gay scene and rarely took strangers home for sex. His tame lifestyle hadn’t made him a target for the crazed killer. Theo, on the other hand, would have been right in the thick of it. Living through every terrifying moment.Jesus.

He knocked off the drink and went back to the mini-bar. There was no whisky left. He pulled out a miniature vodka instead and poured it into his glass with a Diet Coke mixer.

“It wasn’t a complete waste of time,” Jason said. He finished his own drink and rose, picking up his jacket. “I’ve got some information to go on and will make a start on tracking Tyrone first thing in the morning.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Marc hadn’t wanted to invite him back tonight, but the thought of him going caused a tightening across his chest. A mild panic.

Jason stood in the middle of the floor. His eyes were catlike in the low lighting. His magnificent body strained against his clothes. Marc remembered what he was wearing underneath.

“It’s getting late. And I want to get started straight away tomorrow.” His face was deadly serious. His gazed locked on Marc. “No time to lose.”

Marc crossed the floor. Something possessed him. He flung his hand behind Jason’s head and pulled him in for a kiss. Jason responded deeply at first, opening his mouth and slipping his tongue against Marc’s, then he hesitated.

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