Chapter 3

Lyle’s living situation was far from ideal. On the one hand he felt lucky to have a place to stay at all, as many people sadly couldn’t even afford a roof over their heads. But on the other hand, Lyle was also finding it hard living in a house share situation with four other people.

‘Fuck! Who drank my last Pepsi!’ Lyle cried out in exasperation as he opened the refrigerator door to see that his last remaining bottle of Pepsi had vanished without trace. ‘Urgh!’

Lyle turned and walked out of the kitchen and back up the large, winding staircase toward his bedroom. Sharing a house with four other people, and strangers at that, wasn’t easy. None of his other housemates were into the kink scene and although no one said anything mean, Lyle could sometimes tell that his way of life wasn’t exactly totally accepted in the way it could or should be.

Still, it wasn’t all bad.

Lyle’s room was great and was probably the reason that he wasn’t actively looking to move out.

Part of the benefit of being in a house share situation was that Lyle’s bedroom was absolutely enormous. In fact, it was bigger than the size of a studio apartment that Lyle could afford it he wanted to live by himself in this neighborhood.

With its high ceilings and huge windows, Lyle’s bedroom actually felt like it should have cost a ton more than it did. Add in the polished floorboards and large, vintage furniture and it really was a great vibe.

With colorful and tastefully framed photographs up on the wall, there were more than enough splashes of color to meet Lyle’s needs. And the decor helped him relax after a long day at work too.

After running into the problem of Reed telling him to back off the mafia investigation, Lyle knew that he would need to try a different approach.

It would be much harder to do research at work now, especially as Reed had some other journalists at the Tribune who would report back to him on what other people were doing. Lyle knew that if he stepped out of line and went against Reed’s orders that it could come back to bite him on his butt – not only in terms of being shouted at, but especially when it came to the possible redundancies that were on their way.

So with this in mind, Lyle had come up with a plan.

Lyle was going to do something that he had dreamed about doing ever since his first day at journalism school. It would be risky, and it might even put him in a little bit of danger. But Lyle was going to go undercover.

‘Hmmm… I have one black t-shirt, I guess this is what I’m wearing!’ Lyle said as he picked out the clothes that would make him look less conspicuous in the notorious bar that he was planning to go to that night.

Lyle’s idea was that if he could go to this bar and start speaking to people, maybe even flirt a little bit, then he could possibly find out way more than was possible through his usual methods.

Plenty of journalists did this kind of thing, and Lyle felt like it was the next step in his career. If he wanted to truly push the boundaries and put his name in line for some career changing awards, then going undercover and digging deeper for the true story was something that he would just have to do.

Lyle put on the tight black t-shirt and equally tight black pants. Taking a minute to assess his look in the full-length mirror, Lyle couldn’t help but like what he saw.

Not enough color, but…

I do look kinda cute!

Maybe I should have been a mafia boy instead of a journalist?

Lyle giggled at the thought and did a quick spin to check himself out from all angles.

Lyle had heard rumors about there being a high portion of Doms in the criminal underworld, so figured it certainly wouldn’t do any harm to be looking at his cutest. While he had no intention of actually getting involved romantically, Lyle knew that fluttering his eyelashes and laughing at some corny jokes might just go a long way and help give him the clues he needed to break this investigation open.

‘I’ll just let the guys know where I’m going…’ Lyle said, taking the precaution of messaging his kink scene friends his location. It wasn’t long before Tommy replied, and he couldn’t hide his uncertainty about Lyle’s plan…

TOMMY: OMG! Be careful there! I’ve heard it’s scary! Promise you’ll be careful?

LYLE: Of course I’ll be careful! Don’t worry about me, I won’t do anything too crazy. I might even get to suck on some mobster cock…

Lyle laughed to himself at the thought of getting down and dirty with a mob boss and put his phone in his pocket. It was time to leave and make his way to Balthazar Bar. It could get very busy over there, but Lyle had a feeling that one flash of his smile would see the doormen’s gruff hearts melt and let him right in.

Lyle took a deep breath before he left his room and took the first steps into the world of true investigative journalism.

But was he truly ready for what was to come?

Balthazar Bar was jam packed. In fact, it was actually difficult to find a place to stand. But after breezing past the doormen, Lyle had somehow managed to find an opening at the bar and was now happily standing with his own virgin cocktail, a fruity concoction that tasted pretty good.

Lyle stood by a marble pillar and cast his eyes around the busy bar.

Hmmm. This place is certainly interesting.

So many big, tough looking men.

Is it wrong I’m actually getting… excited?

Balthazar Barwas everything that Lyle had anticipated it would be. The men were undoubtedly hot with a capital H. Typically wearing dark, finely tailored suits and with equally well maintained hair and strong jawlines, these were quite clearly alpha men with egos to match.

The décor was dark, luxurious, and the heavy red velvet curtains that led off into other rooms gave the place a sense of old-school glamour and mystery.

Lyle had to admit that he actually really liked the place. One of his oldest memories was watching old black and white gangster movies with his father, and being in Balthazar was giving off plenty of those kinds of vibes.

‘Come on, keep your mind on the job,’ Lyle whispered under his breath, not wanting to become overly distracted by the scary yet undeniably sexy men around him.

‘A drink?’ came a voice from behind Lyle. ‘How about I get us some shots?’

Lyle turned around and saw a large man, at least 6’ 5” towering above him. The man had a thin moustache and slicked back hair. There was something a little bit creepy about him and Lyle immediately knew that this was not the kind of person he needed to be talking with.

‘N-n-n-no, thank you,’ Lyle said, his nerves betraying him. ‘I’m fine thanks.’

The man didn’t look remotely impressed with Lyle’s response, the sinister smile on his face not making Lyle feel very safe.

‘Suit yourself,’ the man barked, shaking his head as he walked away.

Lyle felt a shiver come over his body. There was an extra edge to that conversation that made Lyle feel uneasy. But Lyle put it down to his own nervousness and decided that he would finish his cocktail and then see if he could find some more suitable people to talk to at the bar.

But first, it was time to take a trip to the bathroom. Except before he could get there, Lyle felt someone pull on his arm and drag him behind one of the velvet drapes.

‘What do you want?’ Lyle said, his voice full of fear as he looked up and saw the man who he had rejected only a few moments earlier.

‘I don’t think you appreciate who you are speaking to,’ the man replied. ‘I’ve killed men for less disrespect than you showed me. I offer you a drink, you fucking accept that offer. Get it?’

Lyle felt paralyzed with fear.

This was not what he expected. Sure, Balthazar Bar was a criminal hangout, but this seemed way over the top. Suddenly, Lyle felt a huge sense of regret at having even considered coming here. But he didn’t have time to think, he had to do something. And fast…

‘Let go of me or I’ll… scream!’ Lyle said, quickly feeling the panic set in.

‘Right. And you think anyone will hear you over the music?’ the man replied, a dismissive sneer on his face. ‘I could bundle you into the trunk of my car right now and no one would bat an eyelid.’

Lyle had never felt so frightened in his whole life. In that moment he wanted to be back at home, safely tucked up in bed with his laptop, a good movie, and a big bowl of fresh popcorn.

Please, please, please, please let this be a nightmare.

I want to wake up.

I want to wake up right now!

Just as the creepy man looked like he was about to say something else, his facial expression suddenly changed. Lyle turned around to see what the man was looking at.

‘What do you want, Antonio?’ the man said. ‘The boy is mine.’

‘It’s Mr. Sorrento to you,’ Antonio replied. ‘And you need to let him go. I won’t ask again. You can bet your last fucking breath on that.’

Lyle felt his heart beating. He looked down and saw that Antonio’s hand was poised just inside his suit jacket. Were his hands on… a gun?

As the stand-off continued for what seemed like an eternity, Lyle couldn’t help but notice just how handsome Antonio Sorrento was. He was big, clearly very well built, and had the looks of a Romance book cover model.

Antonio couldn’t help but think he’d seen Antonio before. There was something familiar about him. Maybe it was the scar on his cheek. Maybe it was…

Wait, is he… one of Jake’s friends?

I think I saw him at the Velvet Iron once.

He’s crazy hot, but something else too…

Antonio’s vibe was totally different to the creepy man. And even though Lyle figured that he must be a criminal too, Antonio just seemed different somehow.

Finally the stand-off was broken.

‘Sure, Mr. Sorrento,’ the man said, a hint of unease in his voice. ‘No disrespect intended. I’ll leave now, if that’s okay.’

‘Go,’ Antonio said, motioning to the man with a dismissive hand gesture. ‘So… boy. What brings a sweet thing like you to a place like this?’

Lyle gulped and felt a bead of sweat building in his hairline.

It wasn’t clear what Antonio wanted from him, or what he expected Lyle to say in response to his question. But judging by the stern look on Antonio’s face, he expected an answer – and he expected it right that second…