Page 92 of Played
He winks at me. “Things always do.”
Chapter
Forty-Five
KING
The hatred I feel for my father is so intense I have trouble breathing. It’s like I’m trapped down in that basement again. Chained up like a dog. Treated worse than a dog. Beaten and starved, all under the guise of curing me of my “sickness.”
Until I finally got it. I understood. I was fourteen when I finally realized all I had to do was hide who I was, not change. Because I couldn’t change, no matter how hard I tried. I liked boys. So I fucked every girl who smiled at me, and though I got no satisfaction at all from it, it pleased my parents. It earned my father’s approval. And that was enough.
Until I met Mason James. From the minute I saw him, it was fireworks—like staring into the center of a supernova and knowing you’ll get burned but sticking around anyway.
And I thought I was still doing a good job of hiding it. I really did. But my father found us in the back of Mason’s Jeep parked in the middle of nowhere. Sneaky fuck had followed us. And he lost his shit worse than I’d ever seen before. I’d never been so scared. Not only for me, but for Mason too.
So I told the biggest lie of my life. I told him that it was all fake. That I lured Mason there to humiliate him, and that’s whyhe discovered me with him. Not because we were together. Not because I loved him. And then I doubled down, saying all those vile, hateful things, words that burned when I spoke them. But I was protecting myself. Trying to make it all better again. The pain on my boy’s face almost broke me, but I did it. And then my father dragged me home, and he beat me so hard I could barely stand. And the next day when he stood over me while I told Mason more horrible lies—it was after that when I decided I couldn’t do it anymore.
And now I find out he went after Mason too. Forced his filthy cock into Mason’s perfect, innocent mouth. Fucking raped him! And the man I love has lived with that for all this time. Not telling anyone because he felt—what? Ashamed? He has nothing to be ashamed of. My fingernails dig into my palms, biting into the skin. I’m going to fucking kill my father.
A siren blares from the street outside as a police car drives past.
Mason left. I let him go.
I couldn’t bear the idea of him looking at me and seeing that sick piece of shit. I pull out my phone and bring up his location, hoping to see him at his penthouse or with one of his brothers, but it shows him at an apartment in the Meatpacking District. Fucking Tyler.
I don’t know what breaks my heart more—that I let him down so badly eighteen years ago or that I did it again tonight. Finding out he sought comfort from Tyler is the final blow that makes it shatter into a million pieces.
Jealousy, anger, and shame burn through me, each fighting for domination and all of them getting their turn at the wheel. By the time the sun rises, I’m torn between driving to Tyler’s house and ripping off his head or dropping to my knees and begging for Mason’s forgiveness. Thankfully, something in me stops me from doing either. I replay my conversation with Mason a fewweeks ago, when he swore that he and Tyler would never be more than friends. And I trust him—no matter how much I hate that it’s Tyler who’s there for him and not me. I’m self-aware enough to know that’s a problem of my own making. I should have begged him to stay last night. I should have comforted him in whatever way he needed.
I let him down.
Again.
Well, this will be the last time. I will burn in hell before I ever let anyone hurt him again. Especially me.
It’s time to stop hiding from the world. Time to stop courting the approval of a man so vile and despicable that I am ashamed to share his DNA.
Looks I’m about to come out of that closet I’ve been hiding in for far too long.
Chapter
Forty-Six
MASON
“Mr. Blackthorn is here to see you, sir,” Deborah says, poking her head into my office.
My heart leaps into my throat. While I was hoping he’d show up, I’ve also been dreading it. I have no idea how the fuck this is going to play out, and it scares the hell out of me. Nothing about my relationship with King is easy, but maybe that’s what proves it’s worth saving.
Regardless of how this is about to go down, I’m a grown-ass man, and I’m capable of having grown-ass man conversations. I take a deep breath. “Show him in.”
A second later, he walks through the door, and it closes with a soft click behind him. He looks like he’s barely slept. Despite everything, it makes my heart ache for him.
“You don’t work here anymore” are the first words out of my mouth.
And “Did you fuck him?” are the first out of his.
What in the ever-living fuck? Now I’m angry and defensive. Great! “Fuck who?”
