Page 32 of The Chameleon

Isaac was dancing two booths over, shirtless, on a table in front of four Filipino men. The snake tattoo on his back seemed to come alive as the boy moved as if protecting its master while he danced.

Fuck, that tattoo was creepy as sin.

“They’re great. I still want to murder the guy from time to time, but at the end of the day, there’s no one I’d rather have in my arms when I fall asleep late at night.”

“Those are the best types of love,” Ares noted.

He envied Jared. To have found love so young and know that you have the rest of your lives to share in that love was something truly remarkable. Ares had wasted so much of his own life hiding who he was and denying himself the one thing that would truly make him happy.

Face it. There’s no chance in hell that someone like you will ever get that happily ever after. Nope. No, sir. Not you. Thereare way too many sins and lies and broken promises to ever make Cupid want to turn his arrows on you. No. There’s a special place in hell for people like you.

Then, another voice deep inside his subconscious spoke.All alone. In the dark. With nothing but silence. That is your future.

Taking another sip of his whiskey, Ares shoved that voice back into its room and fastened the lock. He fucking hated that guy. Always reminding him that he was going to be alone. Forever. Because he was a monster, and nobody ever chose the monster at the end of any love story.

Stealing a glance at the man standing next to him, Ares’s jaw tightened.

People always chose guys like Jared in the end. Hot, hung, muscled, and young.

Stop. You’re getting jealous of some snot-nosed kid. The guy doesn’t even have a quarter of the world experience that you do. He isn’t rich, powerful, or feared by many. Yes, the guy might be young, but does he know how to make a man come without touching himself? Probably not.

Then he took a second glance at Jared and all his thick muscles.

Bloody hell. The guy probably does.

“So, are you here for the entertainment?” Jared asked, glancing around the room. “Is there someone specific you wanted me to send over?”

Ares tried to hold in his laugh. “No, I’m not here for the entertainment. I actually stopped by to check on Matteo. See how he’s doing.”

Jared glanced over at Shawn, who was busy serving one of his customers. “Uh, M isn’t here right now.”

There was something in Jared’s voice that didn’t sit right with Ares. Was Matteo in trouble?

“Do you know when he’ll be back?”

Another nervous glance around the room. Jared was clearly conflicted about something. Now Ares was starting to get concerned.

“Jared, where did Matteo go?”

The young man remained silent for a moment, biting his lower lip. Finally, he let out a breath, appearing to give in to that inner voice of his.

“Look, he said he was taking a few days off to be alone and clear his head and that he would be back in a week or two.”

Ares didn’t like the vagueness of his answer. He studied Jared’s face, searching for some sort of clue or indication that he was hiding something more. The boy was clearly conflicted, trying to respect his master’s wishes while appearing concerned for his boss’s well-being.

“Did he say where he was going? What hotel he was going to be staying at?” Ares asked, hoping for some kind of indication as to the man’s mindset.

Was Matteo caving in on himself? Recoiling into some isolated, solitary confinement?

Or was Matteo simply looking to blow off some steam and was off relaxing in some luxury spa in Ibiza or Barcelona?

Matteo’s state of mind was crucial to whether Ares was going to worry or not.

Ares didn’t like the thought of Matteo surrounded by all those hot, golden-skinned Spanish men. Even if he was off relaxing in a spa somewhere.

Jared just shook his head.

What was going on with Matteo? Why was the man being so secretive?Fuck, the man could be so stubborn.

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