Chapter Twenty #2
“It’s not the address, Troy. Whatever’s going on with the three of us…
I don’t even know what to call it. For a little while longer I’m legally still married, as you pointed out.
I’ve never been in a relationship with a man, let alone two.
Even if we were exclusive it would be jumping the gun to move in together, and the two of you are actively fucking other people.
” He flinches like even he’s offended by what he just said, but it’s too late.
“Never fucked anybody raw except you and Adam, Kitten.”
I like how he’s stopped giving a shit when I call him that. Progress.
Something in his demeanor shifts, though, and not in a good way. He slugs some coffee and then rubs his eyes.
“I’m not sure that’s as meaningful as you think it is, Cupcake.” Everything from his expression to his body language slams shut.
Well, fuck me. And not in the fun way this time. In the middle of rubbing at the sudden ache in my chest, I force my hand back to the mattress.
See, when I call him Kitten, it sounds like a term of endearment, but that cupcake sounded an awful lot like he wanted to spit fire. It sounded judgy, and if that’s the way he’s going to be, then I’m definitely going to leave and see Adam.
I throw off the blanket and get out of bed stark naked, hunting around for my clothes.
“You know what? Fuck you, Wes. Adam and I take our health and safety seriously. When you do what we do, safe sex matters. We weren’t on the street too long because we couldn’t afford to be, but we met plenty of guys who were willing to go bare if the client paid extra.
You know how risky that is when you don’t have decent medical care? ”
Wes looks wary. “You’re right. Sorry.”
I pull on my pants and thrust my arms into my shirt. “It is what it is, right? One of the risks of living the life we live.”
“One of, but not the only,” Wes counters. “It’s dangerous, what you do. You could get arrested. You could get killed.”
“Is that what bothers you, or do you think we’re cheap gold diggers like you accused PJ of being?”
Not too many things shake me these days. The cost of pride is sky high in this world, especially when you do what we do. But trying to give this guy something meaningful and having it thrown in my face?
I don’t expose my belly like that for just anyone.
Fuck me for thinking Wes would be different. That maybe after what we went through, he saw past what we are to who we are.
He runs a hand through his hair. I’m vaguely satisfied to notice it shaking, glad I’ve rattled him the way he’s rattled me. “For fuck’s sake. I’ve admitted I was wrong. How long are you going to keep beating that horse?”
“Here’s the thing, Kitten. PJ quit escorting when he got together with Fallon.
Opened a little ice cream stand with his best friend.
So adorable and domestic. Adam and I, we don’t have any other plans.
We ran away from home when he was sixteen and I was seventeen.
We didn’t finish high school, didn’t go to college.
Our marketable skills are mostly limited to all the different fuck positions we know and how well we can suck a dick.
If you can’t handle what we do then you can’t, but I won’t stick around and be judged. ”
What I don’t tell him is Adam and I have been working on a plan for years to quit. Almost since the day we started. That plan isn’t close to fully formed yet, though, and I’m too raw to share right now.
If Wes can’t handle the worst of us, he can’t have the rest. The shitty part is, I thought we were already over that hurdle. He’s known about us since the beginning and it hasn’t seemed like a deal-breaker before now.
Wes jumps to his feet. “Hey. Look. I don’t know how I feel about it, okay?
It’s not exactly the only reservation I have about whatever it is we’re doing here.
I’m not sure it’s even in the top ten. In the last few weeks I’ve gone from the two of you fucking around with me for giggles to not knowing— again —if I was going to die.
Forgive me if I’m not ready to pack up a moving van and play house yet. Give me a damn minute here.”
To be fair, what he’s saying makes sense for a regular person who lives in the real world. Adam and I aren’t exactly normal.
As I button my wrinkled shirt, I struggle to bring my breathing under control.
“You’re right, Wes. Where Adam and I come from, there’s usually not time to think things over.
The night we ran away, I had all of ten minutes advanced notice.
If time’s what you need, fine.” I check my phone.
Visiting hours are open, so I can go see Adam now. “Meanwhile, I’ve got shit to do.”
I take my coffee and the rest of my bagel and get ready to storm out. Except when I fling open the door, there’s that pretty blonde who was dumb enough to cheat on our kitten.
“Oh.” She pauses with her hand raised to knock. She’s shocked, but she recovers quickly. Then, in a super classy move, she looks around me as if I’m nothing more than the door still blocking her view. “Wes? Can I speak with you?”
He looks at me, angry but also questioning. He’s glancing back and forth between us with his mouth hanging open and panic in his eyes.
Fuck it. I’m not going to linger where I’m not wanted.
But I’m not above embarrassing the shit out of him on my way out.
So I blow him a kiss and give a little finger wave. “Thanks for the breakfast in bed, Kitten. We’ll talk soon.”
“Wha…” The shock on her face is precious.
I only wish I could stick around to watch Wes’s face turn red.