Page 35 of Julien (Confessions 2)

“But…how are you going to explain— I mean, you’re married. I assume they know Priest?”

“Oui, they know Priest,” Julien said, and his lips twisted into a grimace.

“Then aren’t they going to wonder who I am?”

Julien took a deep breath and let go of Robbie’s hand. He started pacing back and forth, his anxiety starting to fester to a point where he could no longer hide it. Then, finally, he stopped and looked back at Robbie, who was watching him closely.

“Non,” Julien said, his voice colder than Robbie had ever heard it before. “My parents stopped caring about my life the day that Jacquelyn died. They don’t care that I’m married. They don’t care that I’m one of the top chefs in the world. And they wouldn’t care if I brought home ten men and had sex with them out in the cabana by the pool, because to them, I don’t exist. And that’s the way they like it.”

Julien’s chest rose and fell with his agitation, and Robbie felt bad for having asked his question.

“I’m sorry,” Robbie whispered.

“Don’t be.” Julien locked eyes with Robbie’s then, and they were flat—devoid of any emotion. And that look? It both frightened and saddened Robbie. “I deserve it.”

Robbie shook his head, wanting to say more, but had no idea what. Not that it mattered anyway, since Julien seemed done with the conversation.

As he walked off to the bedroom, his apple now forgotten on the counter, Robbie resisted the urge to call out to him. He wanted Julien to stop, to explain what had happened all those years ago so he could help him through it now. But his frustration, it was a selfish one, and Robbie remembered Priest’s words from the night before and repeated them on a loop in his head: Let him go. Let him do it his way and be there when he stops, when he finally looks for someone to lean on.

So that was what Robbie did. He let Julien go. He sat there at that counter and ate his breakfast in silence, and it was one of the most difficult things he’d ever done in his life.

Chapter Ten

CONFESSION

Familiar faces and familiar places

can be both a blessing and a curse at times.

MOST DAYS, PRIEST loved his job. It kept him busy enough that he had no time to think of anything else unless he ordered himself to. But today, he resented it. He hated that it had dragged him away from his men, when all he’d wanted was to spend it close by and make sure they were okay.

He was working off the assumption right now that they were, since he hadn’t heard from either one of them. But that still didn’t make him feel any better, because while Robbie had been in a good mood when he’d left, Priest knew what he would’ve encountered with Julien afterward, and that was going to be a new one for Mr. Bianchi. Julien was hard enough for Priest to recognize when he got like this, but for Robbie? It was going to be eye-opening over the next two weeks, that was for sure.

We did warn him, Priest told himself, as he entered his office and headed straight to his desk. But that still didn’t take away the niggling feeling he’d had all day that they’d somehow misled Robbie by not disclosing how fucked up they were before he’d become involved with them—but it was too late now.

All day he’d been tied up in court, and each time he’d emerged, Priest had expected to see a text saying that this new relationship of theirs was over and that Robbie was moving out.

But again, there were no missed calls and no texts. So maybe he’d underestimated Robbie. It wouldn’t be the first time. Robert Bianchi was surprising him at every turn. Including his little impromptu performance this morning. That, and the entire exchange yesterday in the closet after work, had been on Priest’s mind today.

Who would’ve thought it? Their princess loved to serve.

And seeing Robbie so at home in the kitchen with Julien last night, and then having Robbie undress him at Robbie’s own request? It was more than either of them could’ve ever hoped for, and Priest was becoming more and more beguiled by Robbie the more he was around.

Priest glanced at the clock to see it was just closing in on four, and realized all he’d managed to grab today was a quick cup of coffee down at the courthouse—he was starving.

Placing his briefcase down, he pulled out his chair and took a seat. On his desk was a pile of envelopes and a small, rectangular box waiting to be opened, and Priest knew exactly what it was without even picking it up—his new cell phone.

He removed his old one from his pocket and quickly scrolled through several missed calls, emails, and texts—none of which were from Julien or Robbie—and once he’d decided they were issues that could wait an hour or so, he reached for the box and began opening the packaging.

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