Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
I studied him as I tried to make sense of his life. This was a man who had everything and nothing. He was wealthy, successful, and utterly alone.
Somehow, that last part seemed intentional. Even with me, he’d found a way to get the intimacy he craved while still keeping me at arm’s length. Instead of asking me out, he’d arranged a business transaction. I was okay with that, because my last relationship had gone down in flames, and I wasn’t looking to start another one any time soon.
Besides…
Okay, so maybe I believed a man like Aleksei would never really want someone like me. Not that I was hideous, or a complete buffoon or anything. But I’d been coasting along like Peter Pan for almost thirty years, and I must seem so frivolous to him.
Meanwhile, Aleksei was a real grown-up, and that had nothing to do with our age gap. He’d probably been this serious and mature since he was twenty, because that was when he became a husband and father and had to quit college to support his family. I couldn’t even imagine having that much responsibility at such a young age.
I ended up dozing off too, and when we woke up I asked, “Feel like going for round three?”
He sat up and grinned. “I’m pretty sure that would kill me, so maybe we should wait a day or two.”
“In that case, I should probably get going.” This had gone well, but I was worried about it turning awkward if I ended up lingering too long.
“Yes, of course. May I call a cab to take you home?” And just like that, he was back to being so very formal.
“Thanks, but I’ve got it covered.”
He rolled out of bed and scooped up his clothes on the way to the bathroom, and I paused to admire the view of his ass. Then I ordered a Lyft and got dressed. He walked me downstairs a few minutes later, and when we reached the foyer, he said, “Please wait here. I’ll be right back.”
He hurried to the den and returned with a thick manila envelope. It took me a moment to realize that was my payment.
When he held it out to me, I hesitated and mumbled, “We don’t…I mean, if you didn’t want to…” How could I take his money, after what we’d just shared?
Aleksei looked mortified. “Just take it. Please. We had an agreement, and it’s important to me that we don’t deviate from it.” I stuffed the envelope into my bag as he said, “I’ll text you soon. Maybe we can make plans for Tuesday, if you have the night off.” I nodded before heading out the door.
On the way home, I put the bag on my lap and tried to be subtle about counting the cash in the envelope. It turned out he’d paid me for every minute from my arrival to my departure, including our nap, and he’d rounded up to the nearest hour. It totaled five thousand dollars.
That was so much money, and I felt guilty for accepting it. Although like he’d said, this was what we’d agreed to, and it was clearly what he wanted.
Since I had every intention of continuing this thing with Aleksei, maybe the whole payment thing would get easier over time. After a while, maybe it would seem perfectly routine.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
7
Aleksei
As soon as the front door closed behind Timothy, I took a seat on the floor and leaned against it. Had that really just happened? It felt like a dream, except that I could still smell him on my clothes and taste him on my lips.
So much for taking things slowly. I’d assumed all we’d do our first time together was talk, kiss, and maybe hold each other. Instead, lust took over, but I didn’t regret it. Just the opposite.
He’d been astonishing—so open, and giving, and totally engaged. I’d been worried that he’d be putting on an act, rather than enjoying it. That would have made me feel awful, but that wasn’t what happened. Instead, he was right there with me, throughout every moment.
The only time he’d looked uncertain was when I tried to hand him the envelope. It must have felt odd to him, since he’d never done anything like this before. I’d have to check in with him later to make sure he was okay.
After a while, I got up and went to the den, so I could close and lock my wall safe. I’d stashed sixteen grand in there on Friday, in anticipation of Timothy saying yes to my proposal. At the time, that seemed like an ample amount—enough to cover two hours, twice a week for a month. But I’d been completely wrong about that, and I was going to need to return to the bank and make another withdrawal.