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Robbie sent off a quick text to Priest and then reached out and placed a hand on Julien’s arm.
“Julien,” he said again, and this time Julien startled at the touch, as though he hadn’t even realized someone had sat down beside him. But when he turned his face, Robbie saw his cheeks were streaked with tears.
“Oh, Julien,” Robbie said, as he scooted in close to his side and wrapped his hands around Julien’s arm.
“She’s here,” Julien whispered, and Robbie nodded.
“I know.” He paused for a moment. “I saw her. Your Jacquelyn.”
Julien blinked once, those green eyes of his shiny with tears and glazed from the alcohol, before he slowly looked away from Robbie.
“She was beautiful,” Robbie said. “You both are beautiful.”
Julien remained silent as he sat there staring at nothing in particular. But Robbie got the distinct impression that Julien was seeing something that he couldn’t. “This was her favorite room in the house.”
Robbie looked around, wishing he could see more of it to comment. But before he could ask anything, Julien was already talking again.
“Her library. Mine was the kitchen, and hers was right here with her books.” Julien picked up the bottle beside him and took a long swallow.
Robbie grimaced, knowing if Julien had been drinking like that since he’d left him and Priest, he had to be close to plastered.
“They left,” Julien said, as he put the bottle back on the floor, the remaining contents sloshing about inside of it. “They knew I was coming…and they left.”
Robbie tightened his hold around Julien’s bicep. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that—”
“Oui. I do,” Julien said, angling his face toward Robbie. “I deserve to be forgotten for what I did.”
Robbie shook his head and brought his other hand up to cradle Julien’s cheek. “I don’t believe that. Not for a second. No one deserves to be forgotten, not ever.”
Julien pulled his face out of Robbie’s grasp. “You don’t understand.”
“Then help me,” Robbie said, because Julien was right—he didn’t understand. Not all of the pieces, and he knew the only way he ever would was if Julien trusted him with this part of himself. “Help me understand…”
“WHO PUT YOUR name on this list again?” Julien asked, as Jacquelyn—and her boyfriend, Ezra—led them through the long line of people waiting outside of a nondescript building for entry into the hottest gay club opening in L.A.
Jacquelyn looked over her shoulder at him, her curls bouncing on her bare shoulders as she rolled her glittered-up eyes. “I already told you, a friend of Ezra’s. He said to let the guy at the door know who we were and they’d let us in.”
Julien turned his hand over in hers and pulled Jacquelyn to a halt, and Ezra stopped along with her, knowing better than to try and get between them when they were talking.
Smart man, that Ezra—for the most part. His father was one of the top plastic surgeons in L.A., so to say he was well informed about the comings and goings around town would be the understatement of the century. But Ezra was also straight.
“Are you sure? I mean, not that I don’t want to spend the night with my sister and her boyfriend,” Julien said, and aimed a wink her way. “But I had plans to hit a club that was a sure thing, and…”
Jacquelyn glanced at Ezra, who nodded and said, “Yeah, it’s legit, man. This client of my father’s knows the DJ here tonight, and apparently he was at Avalon last week talking about it.”
Julien let his eyes climb up the side of the building again, still skeptical. But knowing Ezra, he wouldn’t steer them wrong. “What’s it called, anyway?”
“Shh…” Jacquelyn said, and Julien turned to look at her.
“I was just asking what it—”
Jacquelyn started to laugh at him, and said, “Non, non. Catch up, Jules. That’s what it’s called. Club Shh… It’s exclusive. Members only.”
Julien did another sweep of the long line. “And Ezra’s a member?”
“Non, you are. As of tonight.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“According to you, oui, I am. But after your breakup with Brian, you were so sad. I thought this might cheer you up.”
Jacquelyn ran a hand through her hair as a group of men—all beautiful, all in their mid-twenties, and all rich as Midas, judging by their attire—walked by them and stopped in front of the bouncer.
As a couple of them talked with the burly behemoth, a blond guy in tight jeans and an even tighter red shirt, looked over at the three of them. He gave Julien a thorough once-over, and when his eyes came back up to lock on his, Julien’s cock hardened. Suddenly, Jacquelyn’s little gift was looking better and better.
“See?” Jacquelyn said, as the bouncer reached for the rope, unhooked it, and let the group inside. “He’s sexy and was totally checking you out.”
