Page 244 of Entering Stronghold

Of course you can, why are you asking me?

The only consolation she had was that she’d been smart enough to text him instead of calling him. If they’d actually been talking on the phone, she would have lost her temper. She was worried about Leigh, anxious over him, and now mad at herself for not realizing he was probably going to pull back now. Biting her lip, she made herself calm down and think logically.

They’d made several very big steps this week. He’d not just watched her scene with someone else, he’d now scened with her. Then, last night, he’d invited her into his life, and she’d enjoyed it. It shouldn’t be too surprising that he’d try to push her away now. Mixed messages were pretty much how they communicated.

The best thing she could do was not get upset, the way he probably expected her to. She’d just been thinking she needed to follow the path towards the goal she wanted. Now was not the time to get distracted just because he was being a thick-headed jerkface.

Thank you, Sir.

Smirking, she quickly sent out the text to the other receptionists, praying someone would get back to her. Patrick didn’t text her back, of course, but then, she didn’t really expect him to. He probably had no idea what the fuck to say to that, which was the point. She’d ignored the second part of his text and only concentrated on the first, which was all she cared about. After all, she’d asked for permission, and he’d granted it, and that’s what was really important, right?

Hmm... should she bring alcohol? Taking her bag into the kitchen, she pulled out her bottle of salted caramel vodka (which was only half full) and a new bottle of pumpkin cream liquor she’d picked up the last time she was at the store. Tonight seemed like a good night to try it. Even if she had to leave to go work her shift, she’d be at Angel’s for as long as possible and then she’d come back as soon as she could.

Fortunately, while she was trying to decide if she should bring any more booze, Freddy texted her back and said he could cover. She sent him a thank you, in all capital letters, grabbed what she already had in her bag, and got out the door.

The club was packed, as usual, since it was Saturday night. Patrick found himself at the bar, trying not to scowl. It had taken him a few hours to admit it, but he missed Lexie’s presence there. The text messages she’d sent him today hadn’t just caught him off guard, they’d pleased him. More than they should have. Sneaky little brat had even sassed him with a perfectly respectful answer.

To his surprise, Jared was sitting at the bar too. Will was on door duty, so Patrick honestly hadn’t expected to see Jared here tonight. The big Dom rarely came in unless he could play. It was no fun to be in a BDSM club feeling like a little kid with his nose pressed against the window. Which was the exact spot Patrick was in right now, he realized. Andrew was at Jared’s end of the bar, chatting with Jared when he could, although the members who had finished their scenes and could now drink were keeping him busy. The big man was resting on his elbows, staring at the wood grain of the bar, and toying with his drink rather than actually drinking it. The two ice cubes he always had with his scotch had already melted into the liquid. Not good.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Patrick asked, sitting down at the bar stool next to Jared. He gave a finger wave to Andrew, gesturing towards the tap. Andrew would know to bring him any of the darker beers.

Jared didn’t even try to prevaricate. Wasn’t really his style. “Marissa called me today. She’s staying in California for another month. Got some kind of part in a play or something out there.”

“Does she want an open relationship again?” Patrick asked dryly, as Andrew appeared on the other side of the bar with his beer. Andrew snorted, looking contemptuous. He didn’t even need to ask who Patrick was talking about. They all knew.

“No, but I think I might,” Jared muttered.

Andrew and Patrick exchanged looks. This was new. Andrew had obviously already heard it tonight, which meant that, maybe this time, it wasn’t just random venting. They could only hope.

“I’m so fucking tired of this.” Jared’s fingers tightened around the glass. Fortunately, all the bar glasses were thick and supposed to be hard to break. It was just good business sense, and particularly fortunate in this case because Jared was definitely the most physically strong out of their group of friends. The thick, ropey muscles in his forearms tensed as he glared at the drink. “I think... I might finally be able to dump her. It’s not like she needs me anymore. She can’t possibly, she’s never around.”

Patrick knew that was the hardest part for Jared in his relationship, trying to get out of it while Marissa insisted she still “needed” him. Granted, she was definitely a little unstable, but she was also narcissistic and manipulative. She liked to keep Jared hanging, someone she could always come back to, who would be there waiting for her no matter what. So far, he hadn’t disappointed her.

“Sometimes... “ Jared’s voice trailed off. Patrick waited patiently, not wanting to say anything. They never knew what might make Jared feel protective or defensive. Half the time he didn’t seem to care when they verbally pounded on Marissa, the other half of the time it would get his back up and just seem to make him more determined to make things work with her. Whenever Olivia was involved, it was usually the latter. Of course, the fact that she called Marissa “Truck stop” didn’t help. Looking at Andrew, he saw the other man had come to the same conclusion and was just waiting patiently, not moving away in case it distracted Jared from whatever it was he needed to get out. “Sometimes I wish she would just get hit by a bus.”

It was so fucking unexpected that Patrick almost choked on his beer. Andrew looked like he was having a similar reaction, caught somewhere between laughter and worried horror.

Looking up, Jared caught their expressions and laughed. “Don’t look so worried, guys... I’d never push her in front of one. It would just be easier, you know? If one day she was just gone, and I didn’t have to worry about her coming back.”

Because Jared sucked at breaking up with her. They all knew he’d tried before. Told them that he was going to. Somehow, she always came back. Like a bad penny, as Hilary would say. Patrick thought she was more like herpes.

“Andrew... my hero... my love... beer me!” Adam appeared beside them, begging. Obviously he hadn’t heard any of what was going on. The man looked wrecked. He was wearing a t-shirt, rather than one of his usual button-ups, and jeans. Which weren’t zipped. And the expression on his face was a bit shell-shocked. He looked like he needed more than a beer.

“Dude, XYZ,” Patrick muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

“Shit,” Adam said, as he yanked it up. Jared burst out laughing, completely distracted from his own troubles as he looked Adam over. Picking up his scotch, the big man downed it like a shot. Didn’t even flinch. Even more surprising, Adam didn’t seem to notice.

“What’s with you?” Andrew asked, amused, as he pushed the beer across the bar top. Adam grasped it like a drowning man reaching for a lifeboat. He took a long gulp... and another... and another... when he put the glass back down, it was more than half gone.

“There is an epic amount of man-hating going on at my house,” Adam said solemnly. “I had to make a run for it. Things were getting out of hand, and anything with testosterone was going down.”

“Lexie’s over there now,” Patrick said, by way of explanation as Adam desperately gulped the rest of his beer. “She said Leigh and Michael broke up, and Angel called an emergency girls’ night.”

“Leigh? That’s Angel’s best friend right?” Jared asked, looking sympathetic. Of course he would.

“You haven’t met her yet, have you?” Andrew asked, shaking his head. “Poor thing, she’s a sweetheart. From what I’ve heard, the ass didn’t appreciate her anyway.”

“Yeah, but she’s another long-term relationship casualty,” Adam said, jerking his head at Jared. “Like this one here. They’ve been together almost seven years or something. From what I heard, he woke her up in bed this morning, told her he realized he’d fallen out of love with her, and that was that.”

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