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

As Radclyffe had predicted, Lyle would be powerful in his own right by the time his training was complete. He told Damien, in private, “He’s learning much faster than even I thought was possible. Soon, there won’t be anything he won’t be able to do.” He sighed, prompting Damien to ask what was wrong.


“He can do it, but his heart isn’t in it. He seems to see it as something new and interesting, but that’s all. Like a new skill he’ll master and then move on, or I suppose back to what he loves most, which is creating his costumes.”


“I suppose not, but what a waste of potential. Like me, he could help make the world a better place. He seems to understand that, and has said he’s willing when the need arises, but only then.”


“He’s not you,” Damien pointed out. “To him, making the people who come to his shop happy is the most important thing. He doesn’t have your wider view of the world.”


Chapter 79