Alex closed the door to the suite and collapsed on the floor as years of tension, guilt and fear were suddenly stripped away. After a dazed five minutes of hysterical laughter had given way to tears, he pulled out his phone and called his father. "Dad... the meeting was fine, better than fine. Mrs Jones was almost human... almost. I fear for the guy that's been tailing me, who is going to get a roasting over being totally unsubtle and gaining her attention. Me, I'm just your son now. No spookiness expected and she gave me the heads up that her deputy, that Crawley bloke, might try and recruit me; but that's already a firm no from her and those she answers to. I can't wait to see you after I've been stateside. Joe has only four days leave booked, so I can't cancel. I miss you guys. I'm genuinely and throughly homesick. I still can't believe the nightmare is over."

"I cannot wait to see you too, Sasha. I have also been apprehensive over this meeting. It was a gamble that has paid off and please hope you forgive us pushing you to resolve this. You are always welcome here, both you and Jamie. Do I need to warn the embassy here over this Crawley?"

"No, I can handle him, I will be kind as well. Mrs Jones told me he had a bad experience a few years ago and it's affected him. Well, it's a level playing field there. I... will go see the guy on Harley Street Maya said was not a total loser." The ex spy had assumed leaving home would mean an end to the regular head shrinking sessions, yet today he could see he would need to talk about this like he did with Maya, to gain perspective and make sure he was making the right conclusions. "You, Ola and Tasha were spot on about confronting my fears, as always. This was just a quick chat. I will Skype you later after Jamie tells me all his news about his mommy dearest. I hope it was as productive as mine and had resolved their issues."

...

The 11am meeting with the casting agency had turned into a working lunch. Blythe had been offered the part of devious old maid, because the originally cast actress had dropped out and her replacement was needed on set tomorrow, flying out to Italy first thing in the morning. An actual film, with a reputable director and A list stars and excellent supporting castl. Her luck was finally turning as she phoned Jamie to apologise. He did not answer, so she decided to go to his hotel room to apologise in person and relay her good fortune.

...

As Alex politely shook Mrs Jones' hand before she returned to work, three streets over James Sprintz ordered his lunch, sick of waiting for his mother to arrive. The place was heaving and the manager had come over to tell him to eat or vacate the table. In minutes, he called the waitress back over as anger suppressed his appetite and he requested his order as a takeout as he was sick of waiting and for a taxi to be ordered for him. An hour and a half late without any word on a expected arrival time was taking the biscuit and a new low for Blythe. Leaving a really generous tip, the lone diner could not wait to get back to his hotel.

...

The food had been forgotten as the round of anger fuelled sex turned into the slow passion of make up sex. Alex had diffused his lover's bad mood perfectly in a rare play of complete dominance then completely attentive sensuality. Afternoon sex had made way for an afternoon nap. Their clothes strew across the floor of their suite from hall to bed. The beautiful shirt ripped from Jamie's body was now only good for the trash.

Alex was awake in an instant from the tentative knock on the door, as Jamie was still snoring softly and completely out for the count. Naked and with no shame, the young lover opened the door and cheerfully greeting the guest with a bright smile on his face "Afternoon, Blythe. Come on in and make yourself at home, your son is asleep."

Alex started to pick up his discarded clothes, then noted his own shirt was as ruined as Jamie's. He was aware of the shocked expression on the woman's face at the mess in their living room and the buck naked overly friendly stranger inviting her in. He then started tidying up explaining, "Jamie darling was a bit angry earlier, being stood up and all. I distracted him with sex. My name is Sasha Kiriyenko, by the way. We met at school in France. Yes, that school. The one you recommended to Dieter. I should thank you, for that. Otherwise we would never have met and fallen in love." He dug the knife in about Point Blanc pure,y because Ms. McCudden had refused to believe her son that it had been that bad. The place had been horrific, hence years of control issues, trust issues and needing therapy. Inwardly, he smiled at his top trump of having outed Jamie to his mother as well.

"James is gay?" was stuttered to his statement as she noticed the scars on this gloating teenager's back, crisscrossing white stripes in stark relief to the toned tanned skin.

Matching up socks and folding the trousers, Alex replied "Duhh. He has had the hots for me since he was 14. Only took me three years to notice and then I had to pluck up the courage to take the initiative, as he thought I was asexual. Well, so did my brother and dad. Anyway, my problem is that I don't trust people. They let you down and fuck you over generally." All items accounted for and in a neat pile, he then pointed at the takeout bag. "That's lunch by the way."

He then went into the bedroom, dumping the clothes he had just picked up and kissing his boyfriend awake before breaking the bad news. "Your mom's here."

Jamie rubbed his eyes and then yelped "you opened the door naked!"

With a grin like a Cheshire Cat completely happy with his calculated strategy to upset and shock Blythe, "Yep, and introduced myself as your handsome and hot lover."

"Bastard, I wanted to do that?"

Alex smiled and then quipped "then you should have answered to door naked and stinking of sex then."

Jamie gently smacked his boyfriend's bare leg at the bad joke, "No, asshat, tell queen bitch of the universe I'm gay."

...

Her son was no longer a child. He had a lover and was planning on moving in with this Sasha; who was obviously a crazy nymphomaniac. Her brief phone conversation with her mother and then Dieter had led nowhere. Both fools adored James' boyfriend. The kid allegedly had a substantial portfolio managed by her ex and her mother sang his praises as a sweet shy kid wanting to play homemaker. The actress had fallen into a parallel universe, where her Catholic mother was not ranting and raving about living in sin, but empathising about young love. Then complaining that the Church needed to get over its outdated views on sexuality. The absentee mother missing out on the point that it was love and the couple were mutually exclusive, wore rings and in the old woman's eyes were as good as married. Over a sleepless night, she mused over hiring a Private Investigator to dig the dirt on Sasha, but that would have to wait until her location shoot was over.

...

Tom paused for a moment as he crossed over Vauxhall Bridge to look down the River Thames from the Tate, though he could not see the World's End Estate where he had grown up, which was over two miles away because of the bend in the river. He had made no attempt to visit his mum and dad, his old school or any old haunts. Though today he was meeting his pen-friend, as catching up with Sabina Pleasure had become a regular occurrence on his days off. The venue today was a cut above the usual cafes, coffee shops or galleries. The Rex Whistler Restaurant was well out of his budget, but Sabina has assured him this was her birthday treat. The girl made a mint off her social media platform mixing fashion, current affairs, environmental issues and hard hitting exposes on social inequality and miscarriages of justice.

The table had three already sat down, the two other guys with their backs to him as he approached, were obviously other BFFs of the lovely Ms. Pleasure. Luckily there was no sign of her recording this lunch for her vlog.

The tall, thin and effortlessly stylish young woman smiled broadly as she stood to hug Tom, her whole demeanour of happiness as she introduced her other guests. "Celebrating with us today are James Sprintz and his boyfriend, Sasha." With that she could not help giggling in pure joy as the Londoner shook hands with James and then stared open mouthed at Sasha, before blurting out, "Alex?"