Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 101335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“Dad, I’m fucking tired of your fucked up bullshit. I’ve given you my whole life. I’ve done every fucking thing you’ve ever asked. You need to back the fuck off.” Colt needed to take the upper hand from the beginning, not that he had ever accomplished that before, but he needed to try. As he spoke, he began to pace the small living room, but his interest stayed focused on Jace.
“You’re with that cocksucker, aren’t you?” his father bellowed.
“Leave him out of this, Dad. It’s a different game now. If you take one fucking step toward him, I promise, it’ll be your last,” Colt avowed. Malice filled his words, and he allowed his voice to carry a warning that sounded deadly, even to him. Colt closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. Every muscle in his body tensed, ready to fight when his father mentioned Jace. The old wounds his father had inflicted on him, the ones he thought were buried so deep they were surely forgotten, all surfaced again.
“A goddamn queer. My only son is a goddamn piece of shit queer. You’re throwing everything away for some piece of ass with a dick?”
“Dad, I haven’t thrown anything away. I’ve talked to the team…”
“You told them you like to fuck guys?” his dad shouted back.
“Dad,” Colt started again.
“I didn’t think so. It was only Helena that stopped Maryia from exposing you. She was ready, going to the press, and Helena stopped her. I don’t know how long she can keep hold of her. You have to leave your butt fuckin’ and get your queer ass back here. Take care of this mess like a man, not some pussy, slinking off like the slug you’ve turned out to be. You disgust me. You get back here, beg Maryia back. Do whatever it takes to get that precious woman back. You need to marry a goddamn woman, Colton. It isn’t right to leave this on Helena’s shoulders.”
“Dad, you’re almost sixty-eight years old,” Colt started.
“Fuck you. I love her, she loves me,” his dad stated in no uncertain terms. This whole situation was so fucked up that Colt laughed into the phone.
“She loves my money. And she didn’t keep Maryia from doing shit. Dad, you do understand your Helena fucked me the night before you met her, right?”
“Don’t you dare speak of my future wife like that again, you little butt licker. I swear to God, when I get my hands on you. You think I kicked your ass once before, you ain’t seen nothin’, boy.” Colt was quiet. The anger wasn’t worth the frustration. Jace was less than twenty feet from him, waiting. Colt changed the way the conversation was headed. He’d had enough, and he wouldn’t allow his father to do this again. He was finished hiding, and he was taking his life back, simple as that.
“I love him, that won’t ever change. You stopped this one time before, and I won’t let you interfere again. If you expose me, you risk your livelihood. If you let Maryia out me, then you risk it again. I’ll handle it, old man. Back the fuck off. You don’t control me anymore. Never again, it’s done.” Colt disconnected the call and dialed Maryia. His driver answered on the third ring.
“She’s not well,” Clint said, and Colt barked out a laugh at that one. Translated, it meant she was more likely stoned or so drunk off her ass that she couldn’t talk.
“You should be thanking me,” Colt said.
“Fuck you, you hurt her,” Clint shot back.
“Impressive and very gallant. When she wakes, tell her I’ll give her the downtown penthouse and ten million cash. It’s honestly all I have left that she hasn’t spent. It’s all hers. I’ll have my attorneys draw up the papers and have them delivered tomorrow. The only contingency is she never breathes a word about what she found. She does, it’s all off, and I’ll bury her,” Colt said.
“Don’t you dare threaten her.”
“You’re bold when you’re off the payroll,” Colt said, assuming Clint understood that he was now fired.
“Fuck you,” Clint shot back.
“Tell her. She has until tomorrow night to sign the papers. She knows the right decision, and it’s why she hasn’t outted me yet. FYI, you two were video recorded the days leading up to my wedding. Time stamped and dated, I’m not a fool. Poor me, my bride cheated on me with my own employee. The papers will be there tomorrow.” Colt grinned at the bluff and disconnected the call. How had that not ever occurred to him before now. He almost high-fived himself thinking about the clear proof his apartment building would have of all their coming and goings. Hell, they had had sex in his bed. He could have certainly recorded them together. They didn’t need to know he hadn’t.
Before he stepped outside, he left a voicemail with his attorney outlining his instructions. Once he hung up, he took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, trying to remove the tension those two short phone calls caused him. Ironically, for the second time in ten years, he was close to flat broke. He hoped Jace would understand and give him time to recover. Sliding open the back door, Colt realized he was done. Everyone was handled, dealt with, and Jace was right, he did feel better, actually much better. Colt took the porch steps down, heading straight for Jace.
Chapter 23
Jace kept a close eye on the fire pit, watching as the crab came to a boil. He timed it, trying for just right. Per the seasoning packet instructions, the contents needed to sit in order to let the seasoning do its job. It didn’t go unnoticed that he was cooking meat or trying to get it perfect for Colt. It also wasn’t too big a surprise to realize, ten years of longing meant nothing. He was already back to doing just about anything to please his lover, who was currently inside, making the phone calls Jace had asked him to make.