Page 26 of Best Supporting Actor

So Tag didn’t, stalking out of the room without another word, letting the heavy door slam behind him. And good riddance.

For a moment, he glared at the closed door. As he turned away, though, he realised someone was standing a few doors down, staring at him, one hand raised, about to insert the keycard he was holding into the lock.

It was that journalist. Austin Coburn.

Tag’s first instinct was to panic—to hide—but that was swiftly replaced by a surge of annoyance. Why should he care, after all?

So instead he just flashed Coburn a careless smile and strode past him down the hotel corridor.

CHAPTERSIX

Jay

The next morning, Jay was woken by housekeeping tapping at the door of his hotel suite.

He opened his eyes, disorientated for an instant, but when he heard the door handle begin to turn, he jack-knifed up in bed. “Sorry,” he called out, his voice croaky, “could you come back later?”

The door handle was released, and moments later, he heard the rumbling sound of a housekeeping trolley being trundled away.

Jay flopped back down, covering his face with his arm as his mind returned remorselessly to the events of the night before: the awards dinner, the embarrassing episode with Mason, the absurd confrontation with Austin Coburn… and allowing Tag O’Rourke to blow him. Totake care of him, as Tag had called it.

A distressed moan escaped his throat, loud in the silent hotel room.

Jesus Christ. What had he been thinking?

Well,thinkingwasn’t the issue, was it? The issue was that hehadn’tbeen thinking. At some point, he’d just stopped. Switched off his brain and let his dick take over. Or rather, letTagtake over. Which wasn’t his usual strategy. Usually, Jay was careful to stay in control of his hook-ups. That way he could manage his—well, his tendency to get a bit uptight. Once he’d made a guy come, it was amazing how often his interest in Jay’s orgasm dwindled. Not Tag, though. No, he’d seemed very interested indeed.

Christ, the heat in his voice when he’d pushed Jay back into the pillows.

“I told you I’d take care of you. Lie down.”

Jay shivered, aroused at the memory of what he’d let Tag do to him, and mortified by the things he’d confessed. What had possessed him to give over control like that, to a man he barely knew? To confide his most embarrassing secret to him, a man who’d already amply demonstrated that he despised Jay? Tag could make him a laughing stock, if he chose. What a fucking idiot he’d been.

“I’ve never had to work so bloody hard at a blowjob in my life.”

A pained grunt escaped Jay at the humiliating memory. He rolled over, pulling one of the pillows over his head.

Up until Tag had uttered those words, Jay had thought Tag had enjoyed their time together. That he’d been as into it as Jay. That the patience and understanding he’d shown had been genuine.

But apparently, Tag had just been going through the motions. Doing what he needed to do to get Jay to climax, so he could bust his own nut and leave.

Fuck.

Thank God Tag had interrupted him before he could stammer out the invitation to stay the night that he’d been working up to while Tag was in the bathroom. At least Jay had been spared the humiliation of Tag turning him down.

Yet, somehow, even though he hadn’t said the words, that was still the worst part. Knowing that when he’d made the conscious decision to trust Tag, he’d got it so utterly wrong. Again.

Christ, he wanted to curl up and die. Why was he so bloody gullible?

Tag must be laughing his head off at how eagerly Jay had lapped up his bullshit. Would he tell Mason? Or maybe Aaron? Or maybe he’d drop a hint to Austin Coburn—everyone knew that bastard relied on industry sources for his ‘Little Bird’ column. That last thought prompted a bolt of sheer panic that hit him right in the middle of his chest.

Fuck.

Beneath the pillow, Jay squeezed his eyes closed even tighter, trying in vain to block out the memories of the night before. Trying to un-see the image, burned into his brain, of Tag stalking out of the suite, the door slamming behind him.

His only consolation was that he’d managed to hide his feelings from Tag, masking his humiliation with icy disdain. Hurt was always easier to bear when nobody knew you were suffering.

Still, it had taken Jay hours after that to finally fall asleep. It was only as the grey light of dawn had begun to rinse away the darkness that he’d finally dropped off.