Lyle Atwood's company is hired to costume a party given by multi-millionaire Warner Radclyffe. As he and his employees begin preparations for the job, Lyle begins to feel as if someone is watching him. Then he meets Damien Sauvage, the newest tenant in the apartment building where he lives. Damien tells Lyle that he's a waiter, and when Lyle confides in him that he thinks he's being stalked, Damien offers to help find out who it is. What he neglects to tell Lyle is he actually works for Radclyffe, who wants him to protect Lyle from a very powerful enemy. As Damien gains Lyle's confidence, he becomes attracted to the younger man -- an attraction that Lyle reciprocates. He fights his feelings, knowing Lyle will hate him when he finds out his secret -- and even more so when he learns what Damien really is. Radclyffe orders Damien to continue the job, as he has a secret of his own involving Lyle. A secret that cannot be revealed until the night of the party. Can Lyle survive what is to come, or will the lies of omission be the death of him -- or worse?

Lies of Omission

“Whatever you got makes my mouth water.”


“I figured you probably don’t have plates and silverware, so we have meatball sandwiches, a small pepperoni pizza, and chocolate chip cannolis for dessert.”


Damien chuckled. “I have my moments.”


They ate in companionable silence, and then Damien dealt with cleaning up while Lyle returned to the sewing room to work on enlarging the holes in the two ghost costumes that needed it. He looked up from the sewing machine a few minutes later to see Damien watching with apparent fascination.


“I didn’t know they could do that, what? Binding a hole?”


“It’s the same as making a buttonhole. This machine’s pretty high-tech, which makes life easier. The other one’s a normal one that I use for the majority of what I do.”


“Makes sense. What do you want me to do?”


Chapter 53