Chapter Twenty-Two #3
“Back off, slut. He’s mine.” Will grabs me by the arm and pulls me into him, waving at them over his shoulder as we leave.
“Watch out for The Carver!” Liv squeals. “You’re going into the mouth of the beast!”
“If the beast wants to put his mouth on me, I’m game!” he shouts.
I’m laughing while we leave their apartment, walking two blocks to the nearest subway.
“What if The Carver is picking up gays from the clubs?” I ponder out loud, scanning my phone and stepping through the turnstile. “Maybe we should, like, avoid strangers or something.”
“Aww man! But strangers have the best candy!” He whines, intentionally overdramatic which is sort of his thing.
Will is a real character, but I love the kid. We’ve been friends for years at this point, and while we started as casual hookup buddies who got fucked up together, I’ve come to sort of rely on him, and Derek. Liv and Josie are also pretty cool.
This group of hellions might not be the best influence on me, but at least I don’t have to feel like I’m alone anymore.
Truth be told, hanging out with them has helped me feel a lot more comfortable with my sexuality too.
They’re all extra queer, so we have that in common.
But none of them are afraid to show it, and I think I really needed that.
No one back home was gay. I mean, they were, but not the way they are here. I can’t explain it, but it’s just different.
I guess it helps that they’re all so casual, sex-positive and non-judgmental. We can fool around and act crazy together and it doesn’t matter.
“You know, little muffin, if I didn’t talk to strangers then we would never have met.” Will pokes me on the nose. “So I guess it’s lucky for you that I’m so irresponsible, hm?”
I laugh. “Oh, is it? Lucky for me?”
He nods animatedly. Then he takes me by the arm again, walking us down the subway platform. “You’d be lost without me, Princess Elias.”
My chest constricts, but I force it away and just keep grinning.
Never letting anyone get too close.
These people don’t know the real me. Where I’m from, what I’ve been through, who I am…
They don’t know I’m hiding from someone a million times worse than The Carver.
Twenty minutes later, we’re walking into a club in Hell’s Kitchen to meet up with some friends. Friends with drugs, which is perfect because I can feel myself falling into a hole of depression and I need something to drag me out.
We take pills, get drunk, dance and flirt and laugh. And when we decide we don’t want to pay the high drink prices anymore, we leave, making a pit stop at Empanada Mama before Will and I inevitably adjourn to his place for some stress relief.
“Which ones are you getting?” He hiccups. “Like I have to ask. Brasil and guava and cheese.” He grins.
“I’m good, thanks,” I murmur, even though I’m starving, and they look and sound and smell so damn good.
“It’s my treat.” He shoulders me, and I peek at him. “Don’t give me that look. You gotta eat. You’re too thin. Runway model chic is only cute on a yacht in Saint Tropez.”
I huff and shake my head. But I can’t argue because he’s already walking away. Not that he would listen anyway, so there’s really no point. Will is selfless when it comes to his friends.
That and his parents gave him a credit card to use while he’s in school that has no limit.
Will’s high-pitched squeal draws my attention to where he’s hugging a pretty, blonde girl in platform boots, super short shorts, and a mesh crop. She’s really serving here on the crowded sidewalk outside Empanada Mama at a quarter-to-four.
“Bitch!” Will gasps, holding her at arm’s length. “Slay, you saucy thing. I haven’t seen you in forever!”
“I know, it’s been too long.” The girl pulls a purposeful pout that’s perfectly injected and flawlessly glossed.
I really like her look…
“Darling, this is my partner in crime, Elias,” Will introduces me. It’s so hard not to balk at the name, even after years of using this one. “El, this is my dear friend, Jessa. She went to NYU with me… for like a semester until she got caught boning one of the professors and got kicked out.”
My face is the picture of WTF, and he throws his head back in laughter.
“Okay, first of all, it was a semester and a half,” Jessa defends, grinning wickedly. “Second of all, I left NYU of my own free will.”
“Because they made you?” He snickers, and she scowls. “Hey, sis, I don’t blame you. Professor Wynn was a snack.”
“His dick was big too,” she says casually, playing with her hair. “So it was worth it. Hi, peaches.” She turns her bright smile and vibrant blue eyes on me. “You’re yummy, what’s your deal?”
My brows knit.
“Are you a student too, or you just like slumming with the skanks of New York University?” She laughs, and I chuckle.
“No, no. Not a student.” I smirk at Will. “I’m this one’s chaperone.”
“God help me if that’s the case!” Will cackles.
“What are you guys up to now?” Jessa asks. “You wanna bring the food to my place?”
Will looks like he’s going to politely decline. But then she adds, “It’s right around the corner! We can do some shots, maybe a little blow… I have rooftop access.”
Will and I share a look that echoes the same sentiment…
You had me at blow.
Twenty minutes later, we’re on the rooftop patio of Jessa’s building enjoying our empanadas with a side of tequila and coke. The place is super nice, and my first thought is that this girl either has rich parents, or does OnlyFans. Or both.
As it turns out, I’m not that far off.
“So long story short, my dad has to go to Paris for a year on business and he’s bringing me with him,” Jessa says, overly focused on cutting up white lines on a small tray while she regales us with her lifestyle of a rich Manhattan socialite tale.
If I thought I was jealous before…
“Lucky slut,” Will scoffs, then jumps up abruptly. “Gotta pee. Save me some of that!”
I watch him scamper back inside, mumbling, “He’s going to check Grindr.”
Jessa uses a rolled-up bill to sniff a line, sucking some off her fingertip. “Are you two…?”
“Just friends.” I take the bill and the tray.
“We fool around when we’re bored, which is pretty often, honestly,” I chuckle.
She grins. “But no, we’re just casual. I don’t have time for anything other than work, anyway.
It seems like this city gets more expensive every day…
” Sniffing, I swallow the bitter taste, wiping my nose.
“You’re lucky you don’t have to worry about paying for things. ”
Jessa peeks toward the doorway where Will just went.
“Between you and me, this isn’t all from my parents.
” My head tilts. “The apartment, yes, but my dad kinda freaked when I left school. He said if I’m not in school, I had to get my own job and pay for my own stuff.
I started an OnlyFans which got me decent money… ”
“I knew it.” I grin.
“But then I sorta fell into this… side hustle,” she’s practically whispering all of a sudden. “A friend of mine did it before, so she put in a good word for me.”
“Listening…” I scoot in closer. Hyper-invested, partially from the drugs, but also the money.
“There’s this mansion…” Jessa looks around again, being pretty sketch.
It could be the coke, but it doesn’t seem like it.
“On an island. I think it’s, like, past Montauk or something, since we usually get there from the Hamptons.
Anyway, it’s super hush-hush. No one knows about it.
You have to sign an NDA before they’ll even talk to you. ”
My eyes feel extra wide. “So, what’s the job…?”
“I guess you’d call it an escort-type thing? But it’s not really like that… You basically get paid to party.”
And now I’m downright salivating for more details.
That sounds… crazy. But kind of awesome?
“But why?” I ask. “Are there a bunch of old rich dudes there or something?”
Her grin goes full devious sparkle. “That’s just it. The guys there… are super hot.”
“Hang on… I’m confused,” I laugh while she chuckles. “How is that a job?? It sounds like what I do for free every weekend, minus the weird island.”
Jessa shakes her head. “I know, it sounds crazy as shit. I didn’t believe it either until I went for the first time.
But because it’s secretive as fuck, they have to do an extensive background check.
Once you get selected, they drive you out to the Hamptons, then put you on a ferry to the island.
You stay in this huge, creepy mansion for usually a day or two.
Rage your fucking face off… I’m talking endless booze, drugs and sex with a group of diesel dudes who fuck like it’s their job.
Then they send you on your way with three grand in cash. ”
“Three thousand dollars?!” I gasp.
She shushes me. “Chill, damn! I’m not supposed to be talking about this. I’m pretty sure they’d murder my entire family. It’s that kinda vibe.”
A chill rushes up my spine. Like a reflex of intuition.
Something about this sounds… oddly familiar.
Shady as hell. Like the business dealings of someone I know…
“Sorry.” I clear my throat. “But that’s just like… wow. A lot of money to do drugs and have hot sex.”
“And keep your mouth shut,” she adds pointedly.
“They pay you to be fun, hot, and casual, with no strings attached, and no questions asked. It’s exactly like when rich old dudes pay to have a bunch of hot people around for entertainment.
Only the dudes aren’t old or gross. I mean, some are hotter than others, but they’re all just…
guys. Aggressive guys who don’t get to see girls like ever.
Except the one girl who works there, but she’s like one of the guys.
Actually, she’s cooler and tougher than most of them.
And she can fuck like the rest of them too. ”
She smirks, then bites her lip.
“Why are they there?” I mumble, mind swirling with a zillion questions that all need answers right away. “Are they trapped there or something?”
“See, you already got denied.” She waggles her finger at me. “No. Questions. Asked.”
I’m squirming and I can’t help it. I want answers.
I want to know more about this mysterious mansion on an island full of hulking men, and one woman. I want to know what it is, and why…
And who.
“Right.” I nod. “Man, that sounds… awesome. I could use that kind of money. Especially getting paid to do drugs and fuck, I mean… sign me the hell up.”
She chuckles. “Well, if you’re serious, I could put in a word for you.”
“Do they take… guys?”
“Please,” she scoffs. “They take everything. No discrimination, they just love to fuck. Doesn’t matter who.
But yea, they’d go feral for you.” Her lips twist wickedly as she pinches my cheek.
“I’m leaving for Paris soon anyway, so they’ll probably be looking to recruit someone new. I’ll give them your name.”
“That’d be fucking amazing!” I squeal, throwing myself at her while she giggles.
Still, my brain is running like a hamster on a wheel.
Background check… I’d have to find a way to pass that.
Do my own research. See what I’m dealing with here…
If it has anything to do with him… then obviously I can’t go.
A sudden flutter hits my belly, rising gradually up to my chest. I haven’t felt this in nearly four years… This zeal fizzing in my veins like my blood is carbonated.
If he’s not involved, then it’s just a way to make some fast cash living the lifestyle I’m already leading.
But if he is…
I gulp.
“Just remember what I said, though,” Jessa reclaims my attention while I’m mulling over something I haven’t wanted since I lost it… Venganza. “The golden rule: hush fucking hush. You can’t tell Will. His lips are just as slutty as he is.”
I chuckle and nod.
She has no clue who she’s dealing with.
“I know it sounds too good to be true…” She goes suddenly serious. “And that’s because it is. There’s always a catch, and in this case, the catch is whoever owns that mansion.”