Survival Game (Men of London Book 9) Read online

  Lucinda gazed at him then exhaled and nodded. “Fine. You want to move onto more sappy subjects, how’s that boss of yours? And the nightclub? You still enjoying it there?”

  He nodded, grateful to be back to less hurtful memories. “I love it. It’s hard work, long hours, and you need the patience of a saint, but it’s great. Ryan is a cool boss, his partner Mango is scary on the outside but a kitten at heart, and I get to run the club the way I see fit when Ryan isn’t there. Which isn’t often. The man’s a sucker for work.”

  “Have you met anyone you’d be interested in working there?” Lucinda asked curiously. “I mean it is a gay club.”

  Kyle remembered a man dressed in a paramedic’s uniform with bright green eyes, chestnut hair and brawny arms. “There was this hunky guy I met a while ago called Eric. He’s a paramedic who attended a heart attack incident we had in the club. He’s a friend of Ryan’s. I think they dated once but it didn’t work out.”

  “And? You interested in him?” Lucinda leaned forward, eyes bright with interest.

  He shrugged. “I don’t really know that much about him. We didn’t get much time to talk when he was there last. He was on his way out with Ryan. He’s really yummy though.”

  And how he’d envied Ryan that night he spent with Eric. He’d seemed like a truly nice bloke.

  “So call him. Ask him out. What have you got to lose?” She motioned the waiter over to bring the bill. “Grab that bull by the horns, babe. Maybe we can double date and I can find a nice girl to bring with me. We can hang out, shoot the breeze and have some fun together.”

  He took the bill the waiter had brought over, only to have it plucked from his hands by scarlet-tipped fingers.

  “Mine,” she said with a steely eyed glare. “You don’t get to pay this one. Don’t even argue or I’ll shove a Tampax down your throat.”

  He gaped. “What? That’s disgusting. Why would you even say something like that to me in public?”

  She gave a wicked grin. “Because talking about lady things was always one way to shut you up. Remember that time we got stoned and we had a whole discussion about vaginas and what we lesbians like to call them? I think the best one was bearded—”

  He hurried to press his finger to Lucinda’s wicked mouth. “Please, don’t say it. You can pay the damn bill.”

  She smirked and opened her purse to take out her credit card. “You can leave the tip if you like. Don’t think I didn’t notice you ogling that waiter’s groin earlier. He certainly wears tight well. I could see every cock ridge he had to offer.”

  Kyle groaned. “Dear God, can you keep quiet for a minute before they kick us out of here for all the sex speak?”

  She waggled her eyebrows at him. “Then we get to not pay the bill. Win-win all the way.”

  The bill was duly paid—he winced at the price of a fancy lunch for two in a Covent Garden restaurant—and before long they were standing on the pavement in the cool evening air.

  Lucinda wrapped her bright green faux-fur parka around her. “So, what are your plans for tonight then? I’m going over to see my sister and her kids in Edgeware. You’re welcome to come along.”

  He tried to hold back his horror at that suggestion. Lucinda’s sister Maggie was a brash, noisy woman with a heart of gold and three rambunctious and rowdy spoilt children. He’d only visited them once before and that had been enough.

  “No, sorry, can’t make it. I’m going into work to finish off some chores. It’ll give me a head start tomorrow—we have a fancy function on at lunchtime. I’ll take a rain check.”

  Lucinda pounced on him and, as expected, he was smothered with warm, female flesh under silk.

  “Great to see you, London. We’re gonna be doing this bonding thing a lot while I’m here.” She released him and he found he could now breathe.

  “Sounds good to me. Thanks for lunch. I’ll give you a call tomorrow and we can set up another date? Maybe we can go to a West End show. I know you always wanted to see Wicked. Perhaps Ryan can get us some cheap tickets. He’s got connections in the theatre business.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Oh yeah, that would be awesome. I’d love to see that show. Call me tomorrow then and let me know what’s happening. Lovely to see you, babe. Love you loads, you know that.”

  She planted a perfumed kiss on his cheek then left with a waft of expensive scent. She clambered into her taxi and Kyle waved as it sped off.

  He looked at his watch. Time to do a little work then figure out what he was going to do for the rest of the night.

  It was around six pm when Kyle let himself into the club. He shook his head when he saw the light burning under Ryan’s door. His boss always seemed to be working, even when the club was closed.

  He huffed. He couldn’t talk, being here on his day off too.

  Bloody hell, we’re both losers.

  “Boss?” He knocked on Ryan’s door, waited a while then tapped again. Sounds emanated from inside the room, so he knew someone was there. He opened the door and walked in. “I thought I’d come in, do the line cleaning, stock some barrels and get everything ready for—”

  He stopped short at seeing Ryan on his knees, enthusiastically blowing Mango, who leaned back against the desk with a beatific look upon his face.

  Oh shit, I take back my thought about Ryan being a loser.

  Suppressing his laughter, Kyle backed out of the door. Maybe they hadn’t noticed him.

  “What the fuck?” Mango snarled, his voice strangled. “Ry, you in the habit of just letting anyone walk into your office like that? What the hell happened to knocking first?”

  He hauled his lover to his feet and then tucked himself away, his face red. Ryan licked his lips and smirked at Kyle.

  “Well, hello there,” he murmured. “This is a surprise.”

  “I did knock,” Kyle said, trying to keep his amusement at bay. “Twice. Obviously the two of you were preoccupied.”

  “Yeah, and the club is closed, so no one should be here.” Mango hauled his arse up onto the desk. “Ry, talk to your staff,” Mango whined. “Tell them they can’t just barge in when you and I are having our happy times.”

  Kyle broke into chuckles at Mango’s petulant tone. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to barge in.”

  Ryan sauntered over to him looking like a cat who’d got the cream. Kyle was sure he’d interrupted them before that happened though. “Ignore Grumpy Puss over there. He’s just mad he didn’t get to finish. I’ll help him out with it in a moment. So, you managed to ditch that douche of a date last night then?”

  Kyle couldn’t help shuddering. “Yeah, I did. Won’t be seeing him again.”

  Ryan’s eyes softened. “You seem out of sorts about it. Anything I need to know?” His tone had an edge to it and Kyle had no doubt that if he so wanted, Ryan and Mango would deal further with the unpleasant Steve.

  “No, I left him there, went home and crawled into bed. Nothing to report, boss.”

  “Hmm.” Ryan didn’t seem convinced. “Okay. What are you doing here now?”

  “I just finished having a late lunch with Luce and rather than go home and eat ice cream again and watch other people getting off on telly, I thought I’d come by here and finish up a few things.” He snorted. “I didn’t expect to find a free porn show.”

  Mango raised his middle finger at him but grinned as he did so. Kyle had always found Mango’s bark to be far worse than his bite, despite his carefully crafted reputation meant to scare people shitless.

  Ever since Ryan had face-planted in the club a while ago, Mango had been a mother hen where Ryan was concerned.

  Ryan frowned. “It’s your day off, sweetz. You should be out there having fun, not stuck here working.” He gave a wicked smile at Mango. “At least I was having fun even though I’m here. My boyfriend here decided he fancied a bit of boss-employee roleplay so we—”

  Mango’s face flushed. “Okay, Ry, way to tell the world about our sex life. Could we not do that please?” He squirmed u
ncomfortably.

  Ryan chuckled and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Such a shy boy, aren’t you?” He batted his eyelashes. “Well, I know I’m new here, sir, so I don’t like to presume, but could I please suck your cock again now? Mr Tripper was just leaving.”

  “Fuck, Ry…you are so bad.” Mango’s tone was husky and needy. He looked across at Kyle who was slowly backing out of the office.

  “I’m going,” he murmured. “You two have fun. See you tomorrow. Remember to breathe, boss.” He winked at Mango saucily. He was waved out impatiently as Ryan got busy unbuttoning his lover’s Levi’s.

  Kyle closed the door behind him and stood shaking with laughter—laughter tinged with a little envy and a lot of yearning. The pair had been through some turbulent times recently, what with Ryan breaking up with Mango then taking him back. But they appeared to be stronger than ever and it was clear to see the two men were besotted with each other.

  I want that. I want someone to come home to who isn’t going to make me lose my breath in fear. Someone who won’t treat me like a personal punching bag.

  Thoughts of his ex-boyfriend caused his heart to sputter even though the man was thousands of miles away. All Kyle had to see nowadays was the physique of a six-foot, black-haired and muscled man to send chills down his spine.

  He was making a last-minute check that he’d put everything away when he felt the presence of someone behind him. An unknown man’s cologne teased his nostrils. Heart hammering, Kyle turned swiftly, stepping back defensively. His movement triggered a pile of toilet rolls to go tumbling from the bar countertop to the floor. He’d been about to put them in the gents’ loo before he left.

  Kyle met the startled gaze of pale jade-green eyes in a tanned complexion, surrounded by short, deep auburn curls. Eric Kirby towered over Kyle by at least six inches and he felt intimidated by the broad shoulders and powerful body.

  “Kyle? You okay? You’ve gone horribly pale.” Eric moved toward Kyle, who stepped back again as he tried to get his panic under control.

  “Hi, Eric—you surprised me, that’s all. I was expecting anyone else. I mean, I’m just putting these away.” He waved at the toilet rolls spread across the floor. “I’ll pick them up now. No, don’t you do it, it was my mistake…”

  God, he has beautiful lips. I’d really like to kiss them one day.

  “Don’t be daft,” Eric said, still seeming a little wary of Kyle’s overreaction. “I’m sorry I scared you. The door was open and I saw you there, so thought I’d come on over and say hi before I went to see Ryan.”

  Kyle’s gut churned. “You said the door was open? I thought I’d locked it.” His hands shook as he piled another roll on the top of a growing mound. He bent down and picked up two errant toilet rolls and put them back on the bar counter.

  Eric shook his head as he placed the last straggler on the top of the pile of pink rolls. “No, the keys were still in the lock too. I took them out.” He handed over a set of keys. “Here you go.”

  Kyle stared down at them in bemusement. “I’ve never done that before. I always make sure I lock the door when we’re alone in here and the club’s shut. Shit.”

  Anyone could have walked in. Apparently last night’s episode with Steve left me more rattled than I thought.

  “Not a big deal. It’s all good now.” Eric cast a worried glance in Kyle’s direction. “Are you sure you’re feeling all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m good. Thanks.” He managed a smile. “Um, about seeing Ryan. I wouldn’t go in there right now. He and Mango are kind of in the middle of something. I already interrupted them. I don’t think they’d take kindly to another intrusion.”

  “Ah.” Eric’s grin lightened the room. “I get it. Well, I only came by to ask him if he wanted to go for a drink. If Mango’s here, I guess they’ll be busy for a while. Guess I should go then.” Sighing, he turned to leave.

  Kyle’s spirits dropped. He could have done with a bit of a natter but he didn’t want to risk Eric giving him the brush off.

  With a deep breath, Kyle plastered a false smile on his face just as Eric turned around with a question in his green eyes.

  “If you’re on your own right now, perhaps you fancy coming for a drink with me?” Eric tilted his head. “There’s a great little pub down the road called The Griffith. They make a mean plate of chips with an ale.”

  Kyle’s smile went from false to real in a split second. “Really? Yeah, I guess I could—just wait a sec, will you? I need to put these away in the loo then I’ll get my stuff and we can go.”

  Better freshen up first.

  Kyle picked up the toilet roll pile and with arms full, he manoeuvred his way to the bathroom. He’d need to check on the special Deep Purple cloakroom to tidy up, but that could wait.

  Once inside the loo, he dumped the supplies in the closet, ensured there was paper in each cubicle, and then retrieved his freshen-up kit from the locked medicine cabinet. He took out his toothbrush and toothpaste, cologne and antiperspirant, scrubbed his teeth ’til they gleamed and made lavish use of the toiletries before stuffing them back in the cabinet.

  When he got to the front of the club Eric stood at the front desk, seemingly engrossed in a magazine. Kyle watched as Eric’s large, blunt fingers flicked the papers.

  Hmm, big hands…

  Kyle smirked. In truth, he thought that to be an urban legend. He’d met guys with tiny hands and huge dicks, and guys with big hands, but you’d need an eyeglass to see what nestled between their legs. In Vegas, he’d even met a guy with three balls. One dick, unfortunately.

  He cleared his throat and Eric turned around. His face lit up. “You ready to go, then?” He put the magazine down and grinned. “It’s only five minutes down the street.”

  Kyle nodded as he collected his satchel and slid his arms into his faux Hugo Boss padded hoodie.

  “That’s fine. I could do with the exercise.”

  “You don’t look like you need exercise,” Eric murmured. “You look pretty fit to me.”

  Oh, he was flirting now, was he? This evening promised to be enjoyable.

  The walk didn’t take long and while they didn’t say much weaving through streets teeming with people, it was a companionable silence. Before long they were settled in a quiet corner of the pub, enjoying the local ale.

  Kyle may have been a top-notch mixologist and sought-after casino host in Vegas, but at heart he was a simple soul with a love for good beer and rum.

  Eric sat back, legs akimbo, beer in hand and regarded Kyle lazily. “So, Ryan and Mango were getting it on when you walked in on them then?”

  Kyle laughed. “Yep. Ry was delivering what looked like one helluva blowjob and Mango looked as if he wanted to deck me for interrupting.”

  Both men chuckled and took a sip of their drinks. Kyle looked at Eric questioningly. “So, tell me if I’m overstepping the mark. You and Ryan tried dating but it didn’t work out? What happened?”

  Eric shrugged, his long fingers wrapping around his beer bottle as he gestured toward Kyle. “Oh, you know. We thought there were sparks, but there weren’t, and it turned out we were better off as friends. Ryan hadn’t got over Mango, and, frankly, I thought it was a matter of time until they found their way back together.” He grinned. “I’m glad I was right. Those guys deserve each other.”

  Kyle raised his bottle in a salute. “Amen to that.”

  He couldn’t help noticing the line of Eric’s throat as he drank. There was a certain spot—just there—that begged to be licked. Kyle saw himself leaning over the table and dragging his tongue up the stubbled throat then finding Eric’s plump lips in a kiss that—

  “Earth to Kyle.” Eric regarded him with amusement. “Do I have something on my face?”

  The warm flush that suffused Kyle wrapped around his body. “Erm, no, sorry. I was thinking of something else.”

  Eric raised an eyebrow, which Kyle found mouth-wateringly sexy. “Anything I should know about? I almost felt like you wer
e getting ready to serve me up with a slice of lemon and eat me.”

  Kyle couldn’t resist it. “I’d love to eat you,” he murmured. “It’s one of my favourite things to do.”

  Eric’s eyes widened, and the look of lust that overtook his face left Kyle breathless.

  “Oh yeah?” Eric shifted in his seat. “We’ll have to try that one night. Now that you’ve offered, you can’t take it back.” He grinned and settled back in his chair. “I’m sure I could return the favour.” His gaze smouldered as he stared into Kyle’s eyes.

  Kyle’s arse clenched at the thought of Eric’s tongue licking his hole, getting deep inside him. His cock was enjoying the idea too.

  They were interrupted by their waitress, which probably was just as well. Kyle was sporting a hard-on that threatened to blow. She plunked down their plates of chips, asked if they wanted anything else, barely waited for their head-shakes, and then left.

  Kyle lathered his in brown sauce, ignoring Eric’s grimace, then popped a hot chip in his mouth and gave a deep groan. “Oh, that tastes good.” He licked the sauce off his fingers, while watching Eric’s face.

  Eric shook his head, and gave a soft laugh. “I see what you’re trying to do,” he muttered. “God, you are such a tease.”

  Kyle smirked. “Well, thank you, kind sir. I do try.”

  Their conversation turned to football, politics and some animated discussion about who was the best James Bond when Eric asked a question that Kyle wasn’t ready to answer.

  “So, Ryan tells me you used to work in Vegas as a croupier? Must have been fantastic. Sounds glamorous. What made you come back to the UK?” His head was cocked to one side and his expression was one of true curiosity.

  Shit, Eric, did you have to go there now? We were having such a good time.

  Kyle gulped down the rest of his almost finished drink then shrugged. “I got tired of it all. It’s a cutthroat business, and believe me, it looks like a beautiful lifestyle on the outside, but inside it’s dirty as hell. Not everything shiny is good; sometimes it’s just the dark tarnish that makes it look so inviting.”