Page 4 of Reinventing Cato
Thathadbeen part of the issue. Except Max was now married to Louise, and Cato wasn’t married to either of them. How was that equal? Threesomes weren’t all they were cracked up to be, not in the long term, neither in the bedroom nor out of it.
“We know we hurt you.” Louise put her hand on Cato’s arm.
Cato stared at her fingers, wishing he could melt them with his mind. Maybe she felt the heat because she moved them. The DJ was playing Rod Stewart now. How old did the guy think his audience was? But most of the room was singing along with Rod.Wake up, Maggie, I think I got somethin’ to say to you.Trouble was, Louise had never listened and never would.
“I miss you,” Max said.
“Wemiss you,” Louise corrected.
“That’s good to hear. I hope you’ve missed me enormously. That would make me very happy.”
Louise smiled. She didn’t always get sarcasm either.
Cato didn’t feel he was doing a very good job of showing Louise how wonderful life was without them. Actually, more showing Max. He didn’t give a flying fuck about the bitch. Though he knew it was Max’s fault as much as hers.
“What do you think?” Louise asked. “Want to try again?”
“Not interested. That ship’s sailed. Gone down like the Titanic. Except I managed to get on the lifeboat. Lucky me.” Cato pushed to his feet, snagged the champagne bottle from the table and walked away.
He hadn’t made it halfway to the exit before he was waylaid by the Roman gladiator he’d seen watching him earlier.
“Can I buy you a drink?” the guy asked.
Cato looked him up and down. “Share my champagne?”
The wide smile ruined it for Cato. He didn’t want anyone to bethatpleased to be with him, anyone who thought it would lead to something. But he could sense Max and Louise watching so he smiled back at the guy.
A couple of moments later, Cato and the gladiator, named Paul, were on a couch at the back of the room, drinking the champagne with fresh glasses. Paul was sweet, but very drunk. Too drunk. He had his hand on Cato’s knee, rubbing at the cassock with his thumb, working his hand higher. He’d be disappointed if he went much higher and discovered Cato’s absolute lack of interest in his touch.
“Is it bad to say I always wanted to be fucked by a priest?” Paul slurred.
Cato regretted the costume, but it had been hanging in the wardrobe since his last fancy dress party and he’d left it too late to hire something.
“Want to come up to my room?” Paul asked. “Hear my confession? I’ve been a naughty boy, Father. I need punishing.”
When Cato didn’t say anything, the guy swallowed hard.
“Listen to my confession anyway. I’ve been thinking all evening about you shoving your cock in me.”
This wasn’t why he’d come hundreds of miles away from the party he’d been invited to in Cambridge, nor why he’d declined the invitation to Jonty and Devan’s place, only to get pissed off at Max and Louise, then fuck a fucked-up drunken gladiator just to prove he was absolutely fine.
So turn over your new leaf now and don’t look back.
“Not interested. Sorry. Night.” Cato walked out of the ballroom, past reception and up the stairs to his room, the sound of Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow singingShamereceding behind him.
He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his key. Once he was in his room, he leaned back against the door and gave a heavy sigh. The clock next to the bed said ten to midnight. He hadn’t even made it to New Year’s Day.
Cato huffed out a laugh as he kicked off his boots. He pulled the cassock and cross over his head, then stripped off his trousers, the only other item of clothing he’d been wearing, and cleaned his teeth as he took a piss. He spat, washed his hands and face, swilled out his mouth, took out his lenses, then stared into the bathroom mirror. It was one of those where the lighting showed every imperfection. He coped with looking at himself until he caught the bleak expression in his smudged eyes—he couldn’t be bothered to wash his face again, then he walked back into the bedroom and flung himself on the bed.
I’m going to change.He couldn’t carry on like this. His life was messed up, but part of that had been his fault.
No more one-night stands.
No more thinking about Max.
No more looking back.
Get that job with NASA and move to America. Make a fresh start.
