Robbie glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough Priest’s eyes were locked on the man beside him.
“Be sure to tell him I said hi.”
Robbie opened his mouth to ask who the hell the stranger even was. But before he could get a word out, or tear his eyes away from Priest, who was now stalking through the people still milling about trying to track down their tables, the man practically vanished into thin air, making Robbie think he’d hallucinated the entire exchange.
“Where did he go?” Priest asked.
“Huh?”
Priest looked to his left and right. “The man who was just here with you. Where did he go?”
“I…I don’t know. I don’t even know who he is, I swear. He came up to me.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Priest said. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“No. He just said he knew you and Julien.”
Priest grunted and shook his head. “Of course he did.”
“Why? Who is he?”
Priest ran a hand through his hair. “That was my ex, Henri. And honestly, I have no idea why he’s here.”
* * *
AT THIS NEW piece of information, Robbie turned to look over his shoulder again, no doubt in search of Henri, who, as usual, had vanished like a fucking ghost.
“Don’t bother,” Priest said. “You won’t find him.”
Robbie looked back at him, slack-jawed, and Priest could see the questions in his eyes.
“I don’t… I didn’t— Hang on a minute,” Robbie said, and Priest couldn’t stop his smirk at Robbie’s flummoxed expression. “That was your ex-boyfriend? Seriously?”
Priest held up a hand and flagged down Brian. “Old Fashioned for me and a Tom Collins for Julien, thanks.”
“Got it,” Brian said.
“Can you have it sent up to the skybox with our meals? Julien wants to eat up there tonight.”
“Yep, I’m on it,” Brian said, and Priest turned his attention back to Robbie.
“You might want to shut your mouth, sweetheart. It’s making me think of things I probably shouldn’t be thinking when your mother is seated in the same restaurant.”
Robbie blushed. “Sorry, but I’m still trying to imagine you with anyone other than Julien or me, and it’s just… It’s just wrong. And him? He’s totally not your type. The leather jacket, the piercings. What the hell? I don’t like it,” Robbie said with so much attitude that it was all Priest could do not to grab his arm, haul him out to the back of the restaurant, and show Robbie exactly what this conversation was doing to him.
“Is that right?” Priest said, and stepped in so close to Robbie that his tie brushed up against his hand. “Hmm, look at how the tables have turned. Weren’t you the one making fun of me and my jealous streak recently?”
Robbie’s lips parted as though he were about to deny that, but he said, “Maybe.”
“And what would you call this?” Priest leaned in, feeling more playful than usual tonight, and sniffed the air. “Smells like jealousy to me.”
Robbie lifted his drink and tongued the tip of his straw as he arched an eyebrow. “I’m not jealous. I’m…”
“Yes?”
“Smart,” he said, and then added with conviction, “I’m looking out for what’s mine and Julien’s. And if that’s your ex, he can go and sniff around elsewhere. And PS, don’t try and distract me. We are so not done with this conversation.”
Priest’s cock kicked at the possessiveness, not to mention bossiness, in Robbie’s voice. “Agreed. But let’s shelve it for now. Get your ass up to the skybox or it’s going to end up naked in front of all these culinary experts.”
“Why, Mr. Priestley,” Robbie said, and aimed a coy look at Priest from under his lashes. “You couldn’t have told me that in the elevator where we could’ve accidentally gotten stuck? And here I thought you were the smart one.”
As Robbie let out a carefree laugh and continued in the direction of the elevator, Priest did a final visual sweep of the restaurant, curious to see if Henri had somehow slipped back inside. There was no sign of him anywhere, though, and Priest couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Henri was doing there. His timing was interesting, that was for sure. But, not wanting Henri’s mysterious appearance to disrupt Julien’s night in any way, Priest pushed it aside for now. It wasn’t like he could track Henri down in person, even if he wanted to—that was the thing about Henri: he only showed himself if he wanted to be seen.
As Priest followed Robbie toward the elevator, there was one set of eyes he noticed that were firmly fixed on them. But they didn’t belong to anyone who knew him well. No. They belonged to Sofia Bianchi, who was seated with the only other Bianchi who had made it tonight—Felicity—and as her gaze flitted between Priest and her son, she inclined her head ever so slowly in acknowledgment.
Priest gave a small wave, and couldn’t help but wonder, as he disappeared down the hall with Robbie, if this was going to be the next obstacle the three of them would have to overcome.