Page 15 of Broken Promises (Soho Knights #5)

The first interview had gone well. He knew the CEO, and he placed a huge importance on people, so it was a role he was hugely invested in, which was why he was doing the first-stage interviews.

Jason knew he was up against some highly qualified external candidates, and he was the only internal candidate.

They were having leaving drinks for Kelly, who was the head of reward.

She’d been with the company for years and was moving on to somewhere else to do what she’d achieved at JenSure, which was to build out the entire reward proposition from scratch.

They were good friends, and he was going to miss her.

She was Jason’s work wife. Although Jane was a closer friend, given their history, she was still the boss, and there were certain things you didn’t share with your manager.

Some bright spark had decided karaoke was the way to go tonight, and Jason kept wincing at his tone deaf colleagues thinking they were the next Adele.

“Are you getting up?” asked Kelly.

“My talents lie elsewhere.”

“I suppose this differs from when you usually sing.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t even sing in the shower.”

“I know, because you’re standing up then as well.”

“Bitch!”

She cackled with laughter. He was going to miss working with her every day.

“I’m doing Rhianna,” she said, looking pleased with herself.

Jason smiled in support but was secretly dying inside. This was going to be cringe, but it was her night and tomorrow was her last day. Leaving drinks had moved to Thursdays since the pandemic.

It was another half an hour of wailing and the odd decent performance before Kelly stumbled up to the stage and grabbed the microphone.

“Maybe we should stop her from doing this,” said Gabriel, who had taken Kelly’s seat.

“I don’t think we could if we tried.”

“Which song is she doing?”

“Hopefully not one of my favourites. I don’t want it ruined,” said Jason.

Gabriel laughed. The music started and Jason realised it was “Man Down,” which he liked, but it wasn’t one of his go-to Rhianna songs, so he was good.

As soon as she started singing, there was a collective wince from the audience.

She was holding the mic too close and had started in a really high register, so this was going to be interesting as things progressed.

“Rum - pum - pum - pum . . .”

Jason was trying hard not to laugh. She was getting into it big time.

“Oh whyyyyyyyy, oh whyyyyyyyy.”

“Oh, God!” said Gabriel.

“I know. She should definitely stick to the day job.”

“No. She’s not singing the radio version.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did I pull the trigger, pull the trigger, boom . . .”

Oh fuck! There was nothing he could do to stop it as she carried on obliviously, and there was a collective gasp from the audience when she used the racial slur. This was bad, and she was still singing, even though she was surrounded by dozens of colleagues with their jaws agape.

“I think we better get out of here. Ignorance is bliss and all that. I can say goodbye to her tomorrow.”

Gabriel nodded his agreement, and they both quickly grabbed their belongings and left before Kelly got down from the stage .

Jason was feeling worse for wear. After they’d left the party, Gabriel had suggested they hit Soho, which had been a mistake.

Well, not in the moment. He’d had a good night, but he needed to be in the office today because it was Kelly’s last day and there was a lunch with the leadership team.

Gabriel had left with a guy, even though it was unlike him to pick up in a bar.

He was all about having a date first, so he usually met guys online.

They’d almost hooked up once, but Gabriel was like Charlie– a big-dicked bottom.

It was a shame, because that thing was enormous.

Jason had taken a sneak peek in the bathroom, for no reason other than he enjoyed looking at dicks.

Gabriel also had a huge crush on his sister’s fiancé, which he’d got into during their night out.

Apparently the guy he’d left with was a doppelg?nger of the fiancé, which was not at all weird as fuck.

Had Gabriel closed his eyes and imagined he was being railed by his sister’s fiancé?

That was too much to try and unpack with a hangover.

Jason had enjoyed dancing last night and not been preoccupied with trying to pull. He’d been approached a few times, and by some hot guys, but he had his mind set on one man. All he needed to do now was pluck up the courage to talk to Patrick about it.

The morning dragged. He didn’t have many calls, and regretted that decision now.

It would have been easier to just be in back-to-back calls all day rather than having to do focussed work.

His brain didn’t want to cooperate today, especially with something as dry as reviewing policies.

It was his least favourite part of the job, because nobody reads policies.

“Jason, have you got a minute?” asked Jane.

“Sure,” he said, swivelling his chair round.

“Let’s find a room.”

She had a serious look on her face. His stomach dropped.

Had he fucked something up? Was she pissed at him for being hungover?

Everyone else was hanging as well, and it wasn’t like she hadn’t been to work hungover before.

Jane had left the party early last night because she believed people couldn’t fully relax if the boss was there.

As it was Friday, it was easy enough to find a room, but Jane didn’t speak until they were sitting down. She had her boss’s face on, which wasn’t a good sign. He’d never been on the receiving end of it himself before, but he’d seen it with others.

“Do you want to talk me through what happened last night?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I’m talking about, Jason. Kelly on the karaoke.”

Oh fuck!

“I can see from your reaction that you know what I’m talking about. Why didn’t I hear from you about what happened?”

He wasn’t sure what to say. Jason would never grass on someone. It had been ingrained in him growing up. That wouldn’t be something he’d be saying out loud, though.

“I would have expected a heads up from my leadership team who were there when it happened, but I had to hear it through the grapevine. You know I don’t like being blindsided, Jason.”

It was taking all his strength not to respond. He could feel his chest tightening, and his head was swirling with panic. His leg bounced up and down uncontrollably. Jane appeared oblivious because she was on a roll.

“I know Gabriel was there as well, and I’ve spoken to him.”

Thanks for the heads up, Gabriel!

“This is something you’ll have to get used to in this job, Jason. You have to role model leadership, and in that moment, you should have gotten her off the stage. Instead, she stayed and kept singing. ”

Oh fuck!

“Thankfully, the lyrics of the other songs were more suitable for work, but for you to just leave was not what I would expect from a leader. It’s not what Alex expects either.”

Alex was the CEO. Had she told him? There went his chance of getting the job.

He knew he shouldn’t have gone for it. Now he would have to deal with the humiliation of being rejected and everyone knowing about it.

He’d have a new boss come in who’d regard Jason as a threat because he went for the job as well.

Jason mumbled out an apology and got out of there as quickly as he could.

Once he was back at his desk, he tried to focus on his work, but he felt emotionally dysregulated.

How was he going to sit through this lunch?

He wasn’t sure he could do that. Jason needed to talk to someone, but Charlie was in New York with Sebastian, and the others didn’t know about the job.

He pulled out his phone and fired off a text.

Jason: Where are you?

Daddy Patrick: Working at home today.

Jason: Can I come over?

His phone started ringing. He rushed into a room and answered.

“What’s wrong, boy?”

Jason burst into tears, and then somehow explained what had happened.

Patrick didn’t interrupt him as he got out everything he was feeling.

It was completely unfiltered, and he couldn’t control what he was saying.

He didn’t want Patrick to know he was like this, but once he’d started talking, he couldn’t stop.

Eventually he ran out of steam, catastrophising everything that could happen to him now. Did he need to quit his job?

“Can you listen to me, Jason? Just listen, okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’re going to let Jane know you’re not feeling well. Then you’re going to come here. ”

“But I have to go to the lunch.”

“No arguments, boy. You do what I say. I expect you here in thirty minutes or I’ll come and get you myself.”

Jason agreed and ended the call. He didn’t know what Jane was going to say, so he gathered up his things, making it look like he was going off to a meeting.

Once he was outside the building, he sent Jane a message on Teams. He then turned his work phone off.

He’d deal with the fallout on Monday. Jane had his personal number, and if she wanted to contact him she still could, so once he got to Patrick, he’d turn that phone off as well.

As soon as the door opened, Jason started crying.

What the fuck was wrong with him? He was never this emotional.

He always kept his feelings locked down tight.

Patrick picked him up, and Jason wrapped his legs around his waist. He was carried into the living room, and Patrick lowered himself onto the couch, keeping Jason on his lap, letting him cry on his shoulder.

He ran his fingers through Jason’s hair and kissed him gently on the forehead.

It was soothing, and he felt safe in Patrick’s arms.