Slater’s face flushed slightly. He was a pale man, and every emotion showed on his skin. He bet Slater couldn’t play poker to save his life. “I believe Lucas is doing this for attention. He does everything for attention.”
“From what I can tell, the boy doesn’t need any more attention,” Jack grumbled. “He’s on the covers of those magazines my wife reads. You would think he would want a little less attention.”
Slater’s mouth thinned. “Some people can’t get enough. Some people have to push the limits. Lucas won’t ever stop.” He leaned in, and Jack got the feeling he was trying to look concerned. “Lucas has a terrible addiction problem. He can’t stay away from drugs and alcohol. He’s been addicted for years. The truth, Mr. Barnes, is I fear for his life. One of these days, he’s going to overdose. Or he’ll do something very foolish while under the influence.”
Jack took another drink of the fine Scotch. He wished he hadn’t asked the question. The campaign manager’s voice was grating. He was starting to wonder why he’d ever thought it necessary to leave Abby and Sam out of this. If they were here with him, at least he’d have something nice to look at. He could stare at Abby while everyone else was talking. Sam would say something ridiculous to make Jack laugh. God, he had to figure this out. He had to make a decision and stick with it.
After that terrible day six months ago, he’d made the decision to try to be less domineering. He needed to be easier on his partners, he’d decided, or he could lose them. Abby might find the whole submission thing fun for awhile, but it would get old fast. He was a very demanding man. He’d told Abby he wouldn’t be that way twenty-four seven with her, and then immediately started making decisions for her. When he really thought about it, he’d been twenty-four seven with Sam for nearly twenty years. They just didn’t have sex.
And why didn’t they? Jack asked himself as the other guy droned on about all the terrible things Lucas Cameron had done. It wasn’t like the idea was repulsive to Jack. He was a very sexual man. Though, for the most part, he preferred women, he’d had sex with men before. When he was younger, he’d experimented briefly. At some point he realized he just preferred females. Except for Sam.
Abby wouldn’t mind, he mused as he felt a little grin cross his face. He remembered the night he’d given her one request. She’d asked him to kiss Sam. Sam had been a little shy, though Jack knew he was open to the experience. He’d pulled Sam to him and pressed their mouths together. At first, he told himself he was just indulging his almost wife. After about a minute, he couldn’t say that anymore. Sam was an intriguing mixture of soft and hard. His body and that outer armor he wore over his soul were rough and arrogant. The man inside was still looking for someone to take care of him. It brought out every dominant instinct in Jack. He’d taken care of Sam for years, but that one kiss made him wonder if Sam needed more.
“He’s not listening to you any more, Slater.” Julian Lodge’s voice was highly amused. “It’s a talent of his. He can look as though he’s paying attention, but his mind is elsewhere. Believe me, I know. He honed the talent on me.”
Jack felt a smile split his face. “I honed it years before you, Julian. You should have seen some of my report cards from grade school. And I heard everything Slater here said. None of it was important to me.”
Julian sighed and sank gracefully into the seat beside Jack. He gave Jack a long-suffering look. “That’s because you’re not being very self-aware. The universe often puts us in situations that parallel important events in our lives.”
“Oh, god, this isn’t the karma thing again?” Jack prepared to go really deep if Julian started a lecture on eastern religious practices. He’d just replay the last Longhorns game in his mind. How had it started? Yes, Texas won the toss and elected to receive.
Julian snapped his fingers. “I have often thought you would be an amazing practitioner of meditation, Jackson, if only you could concentrate on something other than sporting events.”
“Sometimes I concentrate on sex,” Jack admitted.
Julian shook his head toward the politico. “Never select a cowboy as your spiritual son. I offered him a world of wealth and power. He chose to hang out with cattle.”
Jack grinned and propped his boots on the coffee table in front of him. “Cows don’t ask my opinions about art or expect me to know which fork to use when I eat them.”
Julian threw back his head and laughed. “I missed you, Jackson. You misunderstood me before. I was merely pointing out that it is possible to learn something from the unfortunate Lucas’s current predicament.”
“Unfortunate?” Slater sounded shocked. “How can anyone call Lucas unfortunate? He’s had every advantage.”
Jack pointed to Slater. “Sorry, Julian. I’m with him on this one. That little asshole is blackmailing me. You’re not going to get me to feel sorry for him.”
“See, now we are back to the karma thing. Must I remind you?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “That was different. You told me Cameron owed me. He was my biological father. I never did anything to this Lucas person.”
Julian shook his head. “Lay the concept of karma aside, Jackson. Do you believe Lucas is doing all of this because of his desperate need for people to think the worst of him?”
“No,” Jack replied edgily. He didn’t like where Julian was going with this. He did not have anything in common with Lucas Cameron. He wasn’t Lucas Cameron’s brother. He didn’t owe the little shit anything just because they shared a biological father. “He’s doing it to get his father’s attention. If he can’t get good attention, he’ll take bad.”
“Rather like some subs I recently met,” Julian said enigmatically. “You might not understand karma, Jackson, but it certainly understands you.” Julian stood and gestured toward the elevator. “I believe our guest has been diverted momentarily. I was told there was some trouble with the car, a minor accident.”
Slater’s eyes widened. “Is he all right?”
Jack was surprised at how his heart sped up just a little. He remembered the idiot in the Platinum Suite had come on a motorcycle. He would discuss that with him, too. If he wanted to be a Dom, he needed to understand what he owed his sub. First and foremost, he owed her comfort and protection. He couldn’t do that if he was dead.
“He’s fine,” Julian was saying. “I’ve sent another driver out. It was an unfortunate episode of road rage. You know how the streets can be here? It’s rush hour on a Friday. Someone took exception to my driver entering the freeway. He was deliberately hit. Luckily he’s been well trained. He handled the situation with no injuries. The police are looking into it. Shall we start dinner? Lucas will be along shortly.”
Jack got up, but Slater sat there with a dumb look on his face.
“We’re not going into that club are we?”
That eyebrow of Julian’s made another appearance. “We will be walking through the bar area of the club to get to one of the private dining rooms. How long have you worked in politics, Mr. Slater?”
“Thirty years,” Slater replied.
“Then nothing you’ll see in my club should shock you.” Jack hid a small grin. He knew Julian was working overtime to keep the condescension out of his voice. It wasn’t working. Jack knew Julian hated hypocrisy.
Slater stood and tried to look blasé. “I’m sure you’re right. I just don’t have Mr. Barnes’ experience. I’ve never married, much less shared my wife with another man.”