by Ella Frank
She grinned. “I like your optimism. You have a good day.”
“You too,” Robbie said, and then headed for the door. The quicker he got to The Popped Cherry, the quicker Robbie could text Julien and say how insanely proud he was.
PRIEST’S FINAL MEETING of the day had just wrapped up in the conference room, and he’d just said goodbye to his client when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
He had been so busy today that he hadn’t had a chance to stop and breathe, and was looking forward to taking a few minutes now to go and check out the reviews for Julien’s restaurant. He’d seen at least five glowing headlines before he’d had to head into court, and again, that talented French chef of his had a well-deserved hit on his hands.
The text that flashed up in the group thread from Robbie had a smile tugging at Priest’s lips as he rounded the corner and headed toward his office.
Robbie: Ugh. This is the first time Tate’s let me sit down all day, buuut your number one stalker—sorry, fan—would like to congratulate you on all of your fabulous reviews, Monsieur Thornton. Expect to be stalked extra hard in a few hours.
Priest reached for the handle of his office door, and just as he was about to turn it, he caught Logan out of the corner of his eye. He hadn’t gotten a chance to see him at JULIEN, but decided to take a moment now, since he was in such a good mood, to thank the man for his help last week.
“Hey? Logan?”
Logan stopped at his door and looked over.
“You got a moment?”
“Sure. I’m not heading out yet. I have a couple of hours of paperwork left at least. Did you need something?”
Priest supposed that was the most obvious response to him stopping Logan for a conversation, but this time around he didn’t need anything, and shook his head. Maybe it was time he opened up a bit more to his partner—after all, Logan was good friends with Robbie, and now knew Julien. It couldn’t hurt them to develop a circle of friends in town they could possibly socialize with.
“I don’t need anything. I just wanted to check in with you and say thank you.” When Logan frowned, Priest added, “For the advice last week, about Robert.”
“Oh,” Logan said, the penny finally dropping. “Yeah, no problem. So, it worked, huh?”
“It did,” Priest said, and slowly nodded, not really wanting to get into how he’d gone about humiliating himself to make Robbie smile—not that he wouldn’t do it again a million times over.
“Good. I wasn’t so sure after Robbie told me he couldn’t hear so well the next day, but…”
Priest narrowed his eyes. “He told you what I did, didn’t he?”
Logan laughed. “He just said that he’d appreciate it if I let you keep your job, since a singing career is out.”
“I’m going to kill him.”
“No, you’re not,” Logan said, and smirked as he opened his door. “You’re too miserable without him, and scarily friendly with him.”
“Yes, something I’m already regretting,” Priest said. “Did you and Tate enjoy yourselves at the restaurant?”
“Are you kidding? The food was phenomenal. I have to admit, I’m glad Tate scored an invite. I have a feeling that place is going to be difficult to get into for a good year, easy.”
“I agree, and with the reviews coming in, it might be more than a year.”
“Good problem to have,” Logan said, and Priest nodded.
“If you ever want a table, let me know. I have an in with the chef.”
“I just might take you up on that. But I think next time around we should have you three over.”
“That sounds…good,” Priest said, and found that it really did. “Right. I’ll let you get to your paperwork, then. Thanks again.”
“Anytime,” Logan said. “And I mean that.”
Funnily enough, Priest believed him, and when Logan disappeared into his office, Priest headed into his and looked down at his cell to see several more texts from Robbie.
Robbie: Aw, I didn’t scare you away, did I, Jules? Or maybe you’re too big and famous now to talk to mere mortals like me and Priest. After that cheeky little note, Robbie had added a sticking-out-tongue emoji.
Priest shut his office door and replied: I doubt you’ve scared him, but if you don’t keep that tongue to yourself, it’s going to get in a world of trouble.
Robbie: Promise?
Priest chuckled as he headed around his desk and pulled out his seat. I promise. In fact, I’m going to write a list of all the places I think you should put that tongue.
Robbie: That sounds like a honey-do list I can get behind.
Of course it does, minx. I assume our hot chef is too busy being a celebrity to write us back today. We’ll just have to remind him who his number one fans are later.
Robbie: ~sigh~ I guess so. But according to the Tribune, we’re going to have to work extra hard to keep his head in check.
So I saw, Priest wrote back, and started to check through his voicemails, only to see the restaurant’s number several times over. He was about to pick up his phone and call when his cell began to ring, and up flashed that same number.
Ahh, speak of the devil.
“And how is the number one chef in Chicago doing this afternoon? Drunk on champagne and relaxed, I hope,” Priest said. “Sorry I haven’t gotten back to you. This is the first time I’ve stopped all day.”
“Priest?” The woman’s voice at the other end of the line was so unexpected that it had Priest sitting straighter.
“Lise?”
“Yes, hi, I’m…I’m sorry to bother you, but look, is Julien sick today or something?”
Sick? Not that he knew about. “No, he was fine this morning. Why do you ask? Is he not feeling well? Maybe he’s had a little too much celebrating? Can you put him on?”
“N-no,” she said. “That’s why I’ve been calling you. He never showed up today. I thought he might be taking the day off, but I can’t reach him on his cell and thought I’d ask you.”
As Lise’s words registered in his brain, Priest’s mind rewound to this morning, to the last time he’d seen Julien as he’d kissed him and left the condo. He’d been fine.
“Do you think that maybe he decided to stay home?” Lise asked.
No, he didn’t. If Julien had decided to do that, he would’ve called or texted both Priest and Robbie.
Priest got to his feet and began to pace the length of his office as the worst scenario imaginable began to creep into the corners of his mind, but he quickly shoved it aside. There was no way…
“Lise, I’ve got to go. Let me see if I can get a hold of him.”
“Okay,” she said, and though Priest could hear the worry in her voice, she added, “I’m sure there’s a simple explanation.”
Priest hoped that were the case, but as he stood there, a feeling of dread settled in his gut. “I’m sure,” he said, and with that, he hung up and immediately tried Julien’s cell. It went straight to voicemail.
“Bonjour.” Julien’s smooth voice greeted him, and Priest rubbed at his temple. “I can’t answer your call right now, but if you leave your name and number, I’ll call you back as soon as I can. Au revoir.”
As soon as the beep finished, Priest said, “Julien? Julien? Fuck. Look, I don’t know where you are right now and you’re probably fine. But as soon as you get this, call me, okay?”
Once he was done, Priest hung up and immediately tried again, and when the call went to voicemail a second time and Julien finished his speech, Priest hit end on the call, came to a stop behind his desk, and shut his eyes.
He told himself to stop jumping to conclusions. There was probably a really good reason Julien wasn’t answering his phone or at work. But when nothing came to mind, Priest grabbed his keys and briefcase and headed for the door.
As he stormed down the hallway and past Logan’s office, Logan called out, “Everything okay?”
Priest didn’t stop. “Yes. In a hurry, that’s all.” Without waiting fo
r a reply, he headed for the elevator.
Chapter Nineteen
CONFESSION
I don’t pray as often as I should.
If I start now, do you think God will listen?
“DO YOU MIND? If you keep doing that, I’m going to cut your husband’s handsome face.”
Priest chuckled as Robbie slapped at his fingers, which he trailed along the top of Robbie’s thigh from his knee to the edge of his short pajama shorts. “Then you shouldn’t wear such minuscule shorts around the condo all the time.”
“And what should I wear? Jeans? These are comfortable for bed.”
“These are indecent, Robert. And you don’t ever wear them to bed.” Lucky for us, Priest thought, as Robbie squirmed on the vanity and Julien’s warm chuckle bounced off the bathroom walls, as all three of them washed up Saturday morning.
A few minutes ago, Robbie had offered to be of service when he’d walked in and found both Priest and Julien at the mirror working on their morning shadow and beard, and when Julien had shaken up the shaving cream and lathered it on, Robbie had scooted up onto the vanity, where he now sat with a razor in hand.
“Are you laughing at me?” Priest asked, giving the pair the side-eye.
“Non.” Julien’s full lips quirked, and surrounded by the white cream on his face, they looked even plumper than usual as he aimed his eyes at Robbie. “But keep teasing him, princesse, it’s highly amusing to watch.”
“Is that what I’m doing?” Robbie asked, as he let his eyes roam down Priest’s naked chest to the towel secured at his waist. “I’m just sitting here. This is the first time I’ve even looked at his cock, and that is hard to miss.”
Julien smirked at the innocent tone Robbie had employed, and then turned the hot water faucet off now that the sink was full. “Exactly. You’re ignoring him. He’s feeling…neglected.”
Robbie’s eyes cut to Priest’s. “Aww, I see how it is. But really, there’s no need. I’d be more than happy to do him next. I’m a giver like that.”
“You’re a troublemaker is what you are. Are you two having fun?” Priest asked, and Julien looked at him in the mirror and winked.
“Always. What about you, princesse? You having fun?”
Robbie wriggled closer to Julien who stepped between his legs, and then swished his razor in the water. “Always.”
Priest raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about this camaraderie the two of you have going on right now, ganging up on me.”
“It’s only fair.” Robbie gently scraped the razor down Julien’s cheek, dragging away a section of frothy cream to reveal a strip of smooth skin. “You two tag-team me all the time.”
“Hmm,” Priest said, as he placed his hands on the sink and looked at Julien and Robbie. “We do, don’t we?”
“I love how he says that all relaxed.” Robbie rinsed the blade in the basin and dragged it down the next section of skin. “Yes, you do. And while it’s one of my favorite activities, it’s only fair you get to see what it’s like sometimes. Plus, we always pick on Julien about his food snobbery. You can’t always win, Priest. Sheesh.”
“That’s true,” Julien said. “But it seems we all like a partner in crime occasionally.”
“As long as we’re all partners in every other way, I’m okay with that,” Robbie said, as he again rinsed the blade. But before he started on the next section, he stopped and pursed his lips. “About that…”
“Oui, princesse?” Julien said. “What is it?”
Robbie lowered his hand to his lap and looked at Priest, and the serious expression that entered Robbie’s eyes was familiar. Priest was instantly aware that what Robbie was about to say next was something that had been weighing heavily on his mind.
“I know we haven’t really talked about where we go from here, as in making things permanent. But you both said when I was ready, you were open to having that discussion.”
Now finished with trimming his beard, Priest put his electric razor down and came to stand beside Julien. “Right,” he said. “We realize this is a lot more complicated than an average relationship. Unlike an unattached couple, you’re joining us, and that’s something we need to work out the legalities of. We want you to be equal here.”
A pink hue blossomed on Robbie’s cheeks as he looked between the two of them. “I know one thing.”
“What’s that?” Julien said.
Robbie worried his lip with his teeth and said softly, “I don’t want to break this up.”
Priest narrowed his eyes, not quite understanding. “Break what up?”
“This,” Robbie said, and pointed with the razor. “The two of you, your marriage. What you have? I don’t ever want to come between that or ruin it. I fell in love with that as much as I fell in love with you. Does that make any sense?”
“Oh, princesse, you could never ruin us.” Julien cradled Robbie’s cheek. “Not ever. You enhance what we have and make us see each other in a different light. You allow us to give ourselves in different ways because we love you in different ways.”
Robbie ducked his head, shyness overcoming him. But when Priest ran his fingers down Robbie’s jaw, Robbie raised his head, and Priest saw his eyes shimmering, the happiness and acceptance there plain as the smile on his face.
“We’re going to work this out, Robert. The three of us. No matter how complicated. I don’t think any of us are tied to tradition. It’s just a matter of how.”
Robbie grinned. “See, there you go again. Tag-teaming me.”
Priest laughed and turned to Julien, whose face was still mainly covered in shaving cream. “I suppose we did, didn’t we?”
Julien leaned in and kissed Priest. “Oui. We’ve always made a good team, haven’t we?”
Priest didn’t care how much cream he got on his face then. He took Julien’s cheeks between his hands and pressed a harder kiss to his lips before answering, “Always…”
PRIEST SLAMMED HIS foot on the gas as the light turned green, flooring it up one of the back streets he’d taken to get where he was going faster.
The entire time he’d been in the car, he’d been trying Julien’s cell to no avail, and now that he was rounding the final corner to their condo, he could feel perspiration running down the middle of his back.
He needed to calm down. He needed to stop thinking about this weekend as though it would never happen again, and calm the fuck down. For all he knew, he could be overreacting. But something in his gut wouldn’t settle, and Priest knew it wouldn’t until he saw Julien with his own two eyes.
As he entered the lot, he wound his way down to their parking spots, and as he made his way to their designated area, that unsettled feeling turned to full-on nausea.
There, directly in front of him, was their Range Rover, but that wasn’t what was so alarming. No. What had the bile rising in his throat was on the ground just under it—a set of keys that had been dropped and forgotten.
Priest slammed on the brakes as he pulled into his spot, and when he climbed out of the car, the adrenaline coursing through him made his entire world tilt and shift as his eyes darted around the empty level, looking for signs of anyone else in the parking lot.
“Julien!” he shouted, and the name reverberated around the concrete columns and walls, but there was no response. No cars, no people, no responding shout for help—just dead silence. No one was there.
“Julien!” he called out again, and this time raced over to the SUV. As he neared the vehicle, all Priest could think was: Please don’t let me find him in the car hurt…or worse. But when he got to the driver’s door, he pushed the unlock button on his keychain to open it, and at the last second realized what he was about to do and instead moved to peer in the window as to not touch the car—no one was inside.
No Julien. No signs of a struggle. No nothing.
This can’t be happening, Priest thought, as he picked up Julien’s keys and spun away from the SUV, searching the empty concrete that stretched out in front of him. Thi
s can’t be fucking happening.
Digging into his pants pocket, Priest reached for his cell to check it again. When there was nothing there, not a missed call, no response from Julien in the group text, Priest shook his head and bolted toward the elevator.
Maybe he’s upstairs, like Lise said. Maybe he’s sick. But in the back of his mind, Priest knew the likelihood of that was slim.
He swiped his key fob over the panel, punched in their floor, and took what felt like a never-ending ride up to their level. Once he was there, he stepped out and raced to the end of the hall, and not two seconds later, he was inside.
“Julien? Are you in here?” But as Priest dashed through the foyer, past the living room, and into their bedroom, he already knew the answer—the condo was empty.
As he came back out to the living room, he ran a hand through his hair and tried to think, but it was close to impossible with the blood rushing around his head. Now that all of the logical explanations had been exhausted, that only left one thing—and that was unthinkable.
Priest looked at the TV remote sitting on the coffee table, and like a man about to reach for something that just might kill him, he slowly picked it up and wasn’t at all shocked to see his hand trembling.
He pressed the power button, and as the TV came to life, he began to flick through the news channels until—
There it was, his worst nightmare: Convicted felon Jimmy Donovan escapes Louisiana State Penitentiary.
After the headline, Priest zoned out, the unimaginable destroying all sense of his reality as everything inside him started to shut down. His legs began to shake, and as the realization that he had been right to fear the worst dawned, his stomach lurched and he hauled ass to the spare bathroom, his breakfast from that morning leaving him in a mass exodus.
Several minutes later, he slumped down on the bathroom floor and squeezed his eyes shut as his stomach heaved again. But nothing was left; it was merely revolting over the facts it had learned.
