“This is my club, so everything in here is my business.”
“I’m just having some fun with my boy here, so there’s no trouble. It’s just a scene.”
“Is that true?” he asked Kieran, not wanting to give away that they knew each other.
Derek didn’t know what their relationship was. He had sensed a familiarity between them, nothing significant, but it was clear they weren’t strangers. That the guy could pass for Derek’s brother wasn’t something he was going to dwell on.
“Tell him, boy. Don’t make me punish you again.”
Again?
The flinch from Kieran was enough for Derek. He called for security.
“Take your hands off him and leave, or my guys will physically throw you out.”
“Do you know who I am? I could have this place closed down with one phone call.”
Derek snorted. He’d heard that line too many times before. He glared at the guy, who let go of Kieran. Before he could say anything else, two of his security guys were behind him.
“Escort this man outside. Lifetime ban.”
“What the fuck? You can’t do that.”
“Watch me. Now get the fuck out of my club.”
The security guys hauled him away. Derek had expected him to be shouting abuse, but he didn’t. It was clear he hadn’t wanted to go, but he knew better than to fight it.
“Come on,” he said to Kieran. “We can go to my office.”
“No, I just want to go home.”
“He could be waiting outside, so at least wait for a bit and I’ll get you a cab.”
Kieran looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded. He was clearly shaken by what had just happened but wanted to appear as if it was no big deal. It might have been ten years, but Derek knew when Kieran was putting on a front. It was also clear that Kieran and the arsehole who’d just been thrown out were acquainted. With this, and Grant Kincaid’s interest in him, Derek needed to talk to Kieran properly. There was something going on with his former stepson, and he intended to find out what it was.
CHAPTER 7
KIERAN
The last two hours were a bit of a blur.
Somehow it was one o’clock in the morning, and Kieran was in Derek’s house. Once he’d found out Hassan and Sarah were on night shifts, he’d insisted Kieran come back to his so he wasn’t on his own. It was thoughtful, but it had also pissed him off. Could he not make his own choices? He was a grown man and could go home on his own if he wanted. Why he’d immediately obeyed Derek’s barked command was something he blamed teenage Kieran for. He’d thought this man hung the moon, but in reality, he was just a controlling arsehole.
Derek had left his assistant manager in charge and said he was going home. Kieran had shared nothing about the guy in the club, and Derek hadn’t pushed it, but he didn’t think that would last long. Was he really going to let Derek take control of the conversation? Like fuck he was.
“Why did you do it?” asked Kieran.
“Do what?”
“Out me to my mum.”
“We’re getting straight into it, then, are we?”
“Well, you got me here for a reason. I assume it’s becauseyou wanted to explain how your choices fucked up my entire life, or did you have another reason for bringing me here?”
Kieran was provoking him, he knew that, but he was pissed off. The guy had tried to drag Kieran into the back room, where he wanted to put him in the sling and watch a load of men fuck him while he watched. Then he intended to take him home andpunishhim for being a slut. That was going too far for him, and the guy had just ignored Kieran’s refusal, which is why he’d started screaming his safe word. He’d probably looked like a freak screaming “tomatoes” in a sex club, but he’d panicked.
Then Derek had charged in like some growly bear, which had been frustrating because Kieran didn’t like people fighting his battles for him, but was also a massive turn-on, which was all kinds of fucked up. Derek had demanded Kieran come back to his house for the night, and rather than tell him to get fucked, he’d just obeyed. He hadn’t even raised his voice. There was just something in the tone he used that made Kieran feel compelled to obey. He blamed the vodka. It definitely had nothing to do with teenage Kieran’s fantasy being reawakened from his memory vault.
