Page 73 of The Lost Zone (Dark Water #3)

“Oh, Mr Tyler encourages me in all of that. Wait here.” Retrieving his drawing pad from the living room, he returned to show his artwork. “These are what I’m working on at the moment. Mr Tyler buys the best supplies for me.”

“So, would you say he’s a good man, then?

” Bax asked, leafing through the drawings.

“Only, I have to say, I haven’t been at all sure that it’s a good idea to get into bed with him, even if it’s strictly business.

” He gave a wicked little wink. “I’ve heard some troubling things about his business style. ”

No , Alex wanted to say, he’s a bad man.

It’s a terrible idea to go into business with him.

He’ll ruin your life. He wanted to grab hold of Bax and yell at him to get out now, to save himself before it was too late.

He considered doing just that. Solange wouldn’t blame him, even though it’d mean the end of any possible hope of getting justice for her.

“What are your boundaries, Alex?” he could hear Gideon demanding sternly. “ No raping, no killing, no hurting. Those are the only circumstances under which you can break cover. We said nothing about warning an old friend.”

Didn’t it come under the definition of hurting, though?

Alex knew that hurting had always, explicitly, meant physically hurting someone.

They hadn’t discussed this particular scenario.

If they had, he also knew what Gideon would have said.

How was this any different to Rebecca? Or any of the other poor saps Tyler lured into his traps.

If Bax fell for it, wasn’t that on Bax, not him?

He so wanted to warn him, though. He wanted to scream at him to go, to tell him everything, but he couldn’t do that.

Tyler’s men would be in here before he got very far, and then all his hard work of the past year would have been for nothing.

Solange still deserved justice. If that meant throwing Bax under the bus, then so be it.

This was his mission and he’d known it wouldn’t be easy.

“He’s a great man,” he lied. “A shrewd businessman, but also a gentleman. You won’t go far wrong if you put your trust in him. He’s honourable. Look how well he’s treated me, after all I did to him.”

“That is good to hear.” Bax sat back, exhaling loudly. “I’ve been so worried about it. Ryan told me he wasn’t sure, that he’d heard bad things… But this seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. I mean, it solves all my problems in one go.”

“Well then, do it. The world deserves holoties.” Alex beamed.

“It does,” Bax laughed. He jumped to his feet and pulled Alex up. “Let’s celebrate. Let’s go to some club and get completely off our heads, like in the old days.”

“I’m too old for that now,” Alex demurred. “Besides, I have a nice meal planned for you here. I’ll call for champagne, and we’ll party like it’s 2086.”

“Ooh, champagne! Well, you know me, darling. I never could say no to champers.”

“I’ll go and fetch it – make yourself at home.” Alex wasn’t surprised to find a bottle of champagne chilling on ice in the kitchen. Frances was waiting there with a delicious-smelling meal, all plated up and ready to go.

He wished he could have a moment to think this through, to decide whether he’d made the right choice, but there was nowhere to hide. The smartwalls were watching his every move, and he was well and truly trapped in Tyler’s spider web.

He rolled the food trolley back into the dining room, where Bax was sitting up at the table, beaming expectantly.

“This is such a wonderful surprise. Seeing you again after all this time. Being here, in George Tyler’s inner sanctum, about to make the biggest deal of my life.”

Alex opened his mouth to say something. Surely he had to say something? To offer some warning. Before he could, Bax started up again.

“It’s such a shame all our old friends from uni couldn’t be here, too.

We could have a reunion. Even that awful beige boy, Neil.

Oh!” Bax clapped his hand over his mouth.

“I shouldn’t have mentioned him. He was the one who got you into all that trouble, wasn’t he?

I knew he was no good. Solange and I once had a big old gossip about what you saw in him. ”

Solange. Hearing her name broke Alex out of his indecision. He’d promised Ted he’d be strong for Solange, and he would. He couldn’t crack now after he’d worked so hard.

He poured the champagne, served the meal, and laughed and chatted about the old times. Then, as the alcohol worked its magic, he put his hand on Bax’s arm.

“So, this thing with Ryan… is it an open relationship?” he purred.

Bax stared at him, his eyes heavy-lidded and tipsy. “Open? Oh! No. Well, unless you count my legs, darling. They’re usually open.”

Alex laughed and leaned in a little closer. “I was thinking, we could make it even more like old times. My bedroom is just along the hallway.”

Bax blinked at him. “Uh… are you seducing me, Alexander Lytton?”

“It depends.” Alex grinned. “Is it working?” He ran the back of his hand over Bax’s cheek. “You’re still as sexy as hell.”

“I’m also as engaged as hell.” Bax brandished his ring finger at Alex.

“He doesn’t need to know,” Alex whispered.

Bax sat very still, his pupils dilating with desire. “You know, you are still so very dangerous,” he said at last in a very small voice. “You were then, and you are now.”

“I know, but you like dangerous. You always did love the bad boys.” Alex gave a wolfish grin and leaned in to kiss Bax’s jaw.

Bax moaned softly – but then pulled away. “No, darling, really… I wouldn’t do that to Ryan.” He buried his face in his hands. “What am I thinking? You’ve cast a spell on me. I would never, ever betray Ryan. I love him to bits.”

“Of course you do. This isn’t about love, it’s about unfinished business.” Alex took hold of Bax’s wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. “You’ve always wanted me, remember.”

“Oh, yes, I remember. Three years of panting after you, lusting after you, yearning for you. My right hand was quite worn out by the end of it.” Bax swallowed hard. “But I had you, remember, darling. On graduation night, I finally had you, then.”

“Not the way you wanted me,” Alex reminded him. He took Bax’s fingers into his mouth and sucked on them slowly, then released them. “I made you fuck me because I wanted to get back at Neil. Well, this time, I’ll fuck you. That’s what you want, isn’t it? You’ve never had that.”

Bax’s eyes sparkled in the candlelight.

“Come on – for old times’ sake.” Reaching out, Alex undid the holotie, tugged it loose, and then began unbuttoning Bax’s shirt.

Bax licked his lips, his face an agony of desire warring with indecision.

“Shh, don’t think so much. Just go with it,” Alex purred, nuzzling his neck, burning hot kisses into his skin, his lips insistent, his seduction sure-footed, knowing he was pressing all Bax’s buttons, playing him like a musical instrument.

Bax moved his head as if he was going to kiss him on the lips, then changed direction and pecked him on the cheek instead. He pushed his chair back.

“It’s very tempting, but no,” he said firmly.

He’d sobered up, and his eyes were full of contempt.

“I don’t think I knew you very well back then, and I certainly don’t know you now.

But I do know myself. I have everything I want, and I’m not going to risk it all for one night with you, as wonderful as I know it’d be.

You’re the devil, Alexander Lytton; all you’ve ever done is tempt me.

But I’ll be damned if I’ll let you destroy me.

I don’t know what’s going on here, but I feel nothing but pity for you now, you poor, sad creature.

Still dressing like you did at university, living in this hermetically sealed environment, sketching feeble little drawings as if they’re real art.

” He waved his hand at Alex’s sketching pad, his lip curling with disgust. “I don’t know what you are now, but you aren’t a bad boy.

You’re pathetic, and that’s not my schtick. I don’t do pity fucks, darling.”

He tightened his holotie with a flourish and, with one last, withering look, stalked out of the room.

Alex sat there in silence, his heart beating fast. He wanted to punch the air in triumph and run around the room, screaming in joy that Bax had shown his true colours.

Marlon Baxter would make it, with or without Tyler’s money, and Alex was fairly sure it’d be without.

He hoped Bax would find another backer; the holotie was both fun and elegant, much more so than the clunky prototypes had promised.

He tried not to think about the look of contemptuous pity in Bax’s eyes as he’d left. Bax didn’t know about Solange. If he had, he wouldn’t have judged him so harshly. It didn’t matter what Bax thought of him, anyway. He wasn’t important. All that mattered was Solange.

But he quaked inside. Would Tyler punish him for his failure, even though he’d done everything he could to persuade Bax into bed? He’d tried to seduce him to the best of his abilities, to reel him in for Tyler to trap. He hoped that would be enough.

It had taken all his strength and cunning to put on this performance this evening. Now, all he could do was wait for Tyler’s verdict.