Chapter Twenty-Six

They walked outside together to wait for Mason’s car service to pick him up. Tessler wanted to hold Mason’s hand so badly, but he didn’t dare draw attention to them before discussing it with Mason first. Not because touching in public bothered him, but he wasn’t sure how Mason felt about PDA’s, and he certainly didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by showing him affection.

Tessler glanced up and down the sidewalk to be sure Barry was no longer hanging around. He hated that this jerk from his past was once again trying to embed himself back into his life, and doing so right when he was starting something really great with Mason. His days with Barry were over a long damn time ago. Why couldn’t Barry understand that? It was embarrassing that Mason had to see this and meet him, too. Tessler was deep in thought while he stared at the pavement on the walkway when Mason’s fingers trailed the length of his arm to get his attention.

“Can I ask what Barry threatened you with?” Mason asked.

Tessler squeezed the bridge of his nose. “He’s an asshole,” he said.

“Yeah, I’d already gathered that much,” Mason agreed. “Now, I’m trying to figure out if he’s a real threat to you or just busting your balls.”

“He wants me to write another book to add to the trilogy,” Tessler explained.

“Why’s that?”

“Financially, he could still have a connection to that project,” Tessler said. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to give my attorney a call today and have him look in to it.”

“Would there really be a lot of money in it for him if you wrote another book?” Mason asked.

“You have no idea,” Tessler replied and shook his head. “It would be guaranteed money, since the trilogy broke so many sales records, and the financial numbers would be ridiculously good for anyone associated with the project. For him, it would be easy cash; that’s why he’s pushing me to write another book. If I don’t do this project, he’s threatening to tell the world who the real author is for the trilogy.”

“That’s LJ Mechum, so there’d be no way for that to point back to you, right?”

“He’d connect the final piece of the puzzle to reveal all three of my identities,” Tessler stated flatly as he looked aimlessly down the street.

“How bad would the damage be?” Mason asked.

“Not sure,” Tessler answered. “I’ve wrestled with that very question inside my head for the last several years. No one in my family knows about LJ; they’d be horrified to know I wrote such a dark, erotic story, which was also based on my own life. The Author’s Note that was included in the beginning of the book declares that fact in black and white. I don’t think any parent wants to read about their child’s sex life as it is, especially something written about their experiences from inside the walls of a well-known sex club and basically played out in a public forum.”

“Barry would make this announcement during the press conference,” Mason stated.

“Yeah, he suggested that I think long and hard about writing another book for the trilogy,” Tessler said and shrugged. “If I decided to do the project, he’d use the press conference to announce the next book in the Black Key Series, and if I refused to write the book, he’d use the platform to expose all my names instead,” Tessler said and shrugged. “Simple as that.”

“What are you going to do?” Mason asked.

“I don’t know yet,” Tessler replied. “I need to talk to my lawyer first to see what options are available, and then I’ll make a decision.”

“Do you want to write another book for the series?”

“Fuck, no!” Tessler protested. “Mainly, because that club is no longer a part of my life and hasn’t been for such a long period of time. Writing another book about the place now feels almost criminal, since I’d be writing the book for the sole purpose of the money I would make off of it. How could I expect other authors to applaud my blatant attempt at cashing in on a popular series? Hell, I’d lose respect for myself if I did that.”

“Is Barry good for the threat?” Mason inquired.

“Most likely,” Tessler nodded and met Mason’s eyes. “Something about the timing of this feels weird to me though. I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in his life that would push him back into mine like this. Why now, when it’s been years since I’ve seen or heard from him?”

“Maybe he’s broke and needs the money?” Mason suggested.

“That’s what I’ve been thinking myself,” Tessler added. “I mean, if he’s only looking for money, then I thought maybe I could offer to pay him off instead of writing another story for the series or having my identities revealed, but I don’t want to have to give him anything—especially money.”

“This smells of extortion,” Mason replied. “You shouldn’t have to resort to shit levels like that to appease him.”

“I wasn’t his only client back then, although I know I was his biggest,” Tessler admitted. “I also know he has several clients signed with him now, which would give him a viable source of income, so it’d surprise me if he was broke. It really makes little sense. He shouldn’t need me.”

“Well, if you were that lucrative to him with the trilogy, then maybe his other clients aren’t bringing in enough income for him to enjoy the lifestyle he was once accustomed to,” Mason suggested.

“That’s a possibility, but it’s also not my problem,” Tessler answered thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s just a greedy prick.”

Mason laughed at that last comment. “Well, it’s probably some of that mixed in with the rest of it,” he said. “I’ll be working at the Ventura Security office today. If you want me to, I could do some digging into his background while I’m there.”

“You can do that?”

“Hell, yeah,” Mason said and grinned. “I’d have to have probable cause to get my boss to sign off on the search, but Barry’s threat to you certainly gives me that.”

It took Tessler a moment to answer Mason, but when he did, a smile lit his face. “Yeah, go ahead and see what you can find out on him.”

Mason nodded. “Okay, then text me any information you have on him, such as his full name, last known address—stuff like that, and I’ll let you know what I find out.”

The car service picking up Mason arrived then and pulled up next to them at the curb. Mason’s knuckles brushed the back of Tessler’s hand. “I really want to kiss you,” Mason whispered.

“What’s holding you back?” Tessler said and grinned.

“You’re cool if I did that to you in public?”

“I don’t give a shit what anyone around here has to say about me kissing a gorgeous man on the sidewalk,” Tessler said and winked. “If I’m lucky, they’ll also guess you spent the night in my bed.”

“Jesus, don’t say shit like that,” Mason said. “I’m getting hard at the memory.”

It was Tessler who finally stepped in and took the kiss, but it was Mason who leaned in and wrapped Tessler up in his arms to own it. If any passersby reacted to their kiss, neither Mason or Tessler would have known. At that moment, the only things that existed were each other, the wet suction of their mouths, and the wrestling match going on between their tongues.

“Stay with me again tonight,” Tessler said breathlessly when their kiss finally ended.

“I’m not sure I can,” Mason said. “I’ll probably be working late at Ventura, and then the drive to get back out here ...”

“It’s okay,” Tessler said. “I’m acting like a needy, little bitch right now.”

Mason slanted his head again and took another quick kiss. “You’re not being needy. I really want to come back,” he said against Tessler’s well-kissed lips. “I’ll see what I can manage with the time, okay?”

“We still have some Tiramisu leftover from last night to use up,” Tessler grinned. “Wouldn’t want that to go bad now, would we?”

Mason moaned out loud and closed his eyes as if he were in pain. “You’re being a total dick tease, Tess.”

“Only for you.”

Mason’s smile grew wider at that statement. He opened up the back door to the vehicle waiting for him and started to climb inside. “I’ll call you later,” Mason said and reached for the door.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Tessler replied, then he watched as Mason closed it and his driver pulled out into traffic before he walked back into his building.

He had the driver bring him directly to the Ventura Security office instead of going home to change. Mason was too eager to get to work; he’d rather forgo the next few hours of sitting and waiting at home. Now that he knew about the threat Barry had made against Tessler, he couldn’t see straight. He needed to talk to Victor and Fizzbo as soon as possible to see what options he might have to protect Tessler. If that’s what the situation called for, then Mason wanted the protection already in place when it was needed, not after the fact. Mason was certain that Tessler wouldn’t look at this situation as one that needed a professional security detail, but there was no way Mason was dropping the ball and risking any harm coming to Tessler.

“Everything all right?” Victor asked Mason as he came out of his office and into the main area. “You’re not due in until later.”

“Something came up,” Mason stated.

Victor sat on the edge of a desk in the main office and began to sort through a pile of mail. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

Mason took a seat behind his desk and spun his swivel chair to face Victor. “I’ve been seeing someone, a man who—”

“You’re seeing a man?” Victor asked.

“Yeah, why does that come as such a surprise to everyone in this office?” Mason asked.

Victor grinned and tilted his head as if in deep thought. “Maybe because you’ve never once mentioned you like men, nor have I ever seen you with a man.”

“I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you have a conversation with the guys here in the office over which gender happens to share your bed,” Mason pointed out.

“Okay, touche,” Victor said. “You win, but it’s more that you always seem to operate as the lone wolf—all quiet and mysterious. You never have a lot to say, but what ends up coming out of your mouth is always important and has some weight to it.”

“Anyway, as I was saying,” Mason interrupted. “I’ve been seeing this guy who also happens to be a famous author. He has an ex-agent who threatened him this morning while I was there. I’m wondering what my options are to properly protect him, and I’d also like to ask if I could use our data systems to do a quick background search on the agent to see what his motives might be.”

“What’s your guy’s name?” Victor asked.

“He goes by one name: Tessler.”

“The sci-fi author?”

“Yes, that’s him,” Mason admitted. “He has another pen name as well as his birth name.”

“I’ve only read his science fiction books,” Victor said. “I wasn’t aware he had other books under different names. He’s damn good. I’m guessing you’re a fan?”

The glint in Victor’s dark eyes told Mason he was doing his best to tease him. “He’s a really nice guy, kind of reclusive and sticks to himself, like a typical author. He certainly doesn’t deserve to be threatened the way he was this morning,” Mason said.

“Explain that to me,” Victor said pointedly.

“The ex is Tessler’s former literary agent,” Mason said. “He wants Tessler to write another book using his other pen name because it would be a guaranteed moneymaker. If Tessler doesn’t write the book, the ex-agent is threatening to reveal all of Tessler’s identities during a press conference. It’s the other pen name Tessler used which made him a boatload of money, but no one knows that’s his work. The reveal might not be catastrophic to his career, but it would certainly be embarrassing to him and his family on a personal level.”

“Can you tell me his other pen name?” Mason glanced around the otherwise empty office and Victor held up his hand. “Mason, we’ve got the office to ourselves. Whatever you say to me right now stays here between us. The same rules apply to this principal as they do to any of our others, okay?”

“Have you ever heard of LJ Mechum?” Mason asked after a long moment.

Victor rubbed at the dark whiskers shadowing his jawline. “Wait. That name sounds very familiar. Isn’t he the author of that famous trilogy which came out a few years back?” Victor asked. “It supposedly broke all kinds of sales records, and they even made movies out of each book.”

“Yeah, that’s the right author and his trilogy.”

“Holy shit! If I’m remembering correctly, that series was kinky as hell and very controversial. It was a real life story about a young guy who basically grows up at a sex club, with bondage and some other seriously racy stuff,” Victor elaborated and Mason inwardly cringed. How had that once been Tessler’s life? “Jesus, that’s your guy?”

“Yes, he’s the author,” Mason said. “For obvious reasons, he’d like to keep his identities private, and he should be allowed to do that. So, what can I do to ensure he’s properly … protected?”

“Well, you know the drill, Mason. In order for us to take Tessler on as a client, he’s going to have to sign some paperwork giving us a certain level of legal access to his life.”

“I’m not sure he’ll go for that,” Mason stated. “I don’t think he even believes his ex would cause him serious harm.”

“But you do,” Victor said as a statement and not as a question.

Mason set his elbows on his desk and leaned over. “I’m not willing to risk being wrong about the ex’s level of instability or Tessler’s safety in the process,” Mason confirmed. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Definitely,” Victor replied. “The situation stinks enough to warrant taking precautionary measures. See if you can get him in here to talk to me. In the meantime, how are you feeling?”

Mason smiled at that question. “I feel great,” he answered proudly. “When the ex made a move on Tessler this morning, I was able to disarm the situation rather quickly. I was pretty excited about that.”

“Seriously?” Victor asked.

“Yep, I had him slammed up against the opposite wall before he knew what hit him,” Mason recalled. “It felt really good, like old times.”

“I’m really happy to hear that, Mase. It sounds like you’re really close to coming back and doing some field work with us.”

“I agree,” Mason replied. “It’s been a long damn time coming, and I feel ready.”

“Get me a timeline from your doctors of when they think they’ll be able to sign off on your medical leave,” Victor said.

“I’ve already put in a call to their office, and I’ll be meeting with them later on in the week,” Mason retorted.

“Seems like your personal trainer and all that physical therapy he’s been doing with you is working like a charm.”

“I think so,” Mason said and grinned broadly. “Plus, I’ve been doubling up on the workouts when I’m at home. I’m feeling stronger than I have in years.”

Victor set the mail down on the desk and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll tell you what. If you can get yourself cleared by the doctors this week, then I’d like to assign you to be a presence at court next week when Kensey’s case goes to trial. I want as many of my guys at the courthouse as possible.”

“You mean, the grandfather is finally having his day in court?” Mason asked.

“Yeah, Fizzbo mentioned that the prick could go for a plea bargain, so it doesn’t sound like the case will be in court all that long. Could be nothing more than a matter of a few hours.”

“Figures that piece of shit would be a pussy and take a deal,” Mason added.

“I’m hoping the prosecutors won’t be feeling generous enough to offer the scumbag a deal at all,” Victor countered.

“Well, either way, I’m ready to get back to field work, and helping out with Kensey’s case would be a great first job back with the guys on the team. I miss them.”

“And they miss you,” Victor agreed.