Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66511 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 266(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)
Like the coward he’d become, Chad ignored Tristan completely, giving him his back as he started out of the room. Tristan wasn’t to be put off. He followed Chad out into the hall. Several members of the production team littered the hallway. Wires ran from outlets all the way down the long walkway, causing Chad to focus on where he stepped to keep from tripping and falling.
“Hey,” Tristan called out, which only caused Chad to hurry his steps. It wasn’t inconceivable that Tristan could have spoken to anyone else in the hall, but he tried his best to ignore him. “Give me a minute, son.”
Son. Chad rolled his eyes and kept going. No way they were having this conversation for everyone in Wilder to hear.
“You’re the only one who gets away with ignoring the CEO of our company,” Landry, Tristan’s number two man said, chuckling at Chad as he walked past. “Apparently, he’s gotta pee real bad, Tristan.”
“Give me a minute, Landry,” Tristan replied, not to be distracted.
His serious tone caused Chad to stop in the middle of pushing open the bathroom door, his shoulders tightening. He lowered his head and kept going to look under the stalls, making sure they were completely alone. He had seconds to form his thoughts and a strategy.
He could say he’d never had a reaction like that before, but Tristan would call him on his bullshit.
The door swung open, and Chad twisted around, startled as if he hadn’t expected Tristan to be there. The Ducky-induced arousal faded. Not only faded, but his balls shrunk until they may have been reabsorbed into his body. Tristan came directly to him, forcing Chad to hold his ground when all he wanted to do was retreat.
His stepfather gripped his shoulders with the same amount of sweet-but-firm hold as before and said, “You have nothing to worry about with me. You can say, do, or be whoever you are and it’s good with me. You have to know that.”
Of course Chad knew but it didn’t stop a deeply held exhale from escaping his lungs. Chad rolled his eyes and gently slipped from the hold. He scrubbed his hands down his face.
He was having an existential crisis with every part of his pathetic life. He had the hots for one of his best friends, a friend, mind you, who had only ever talked about women. For some reason, he didn’t want to play golf anymore. It had been his journey for the last many years. He’d fought his family to even finish college. He lived, ate, breathed golf, and now he just didn’t want to do it.
Jesus. He was losing his fucking mind.
Instead of letting the crazy out for Tristan to see, Chad scraped his fingers through his hair and said the exact opposite of what he felt. “You don’t think I can handle the pros. I get it, Tristan. You don’t have to explain anything else.” Chad swung around, going to the sink to splash cold water on his face.
He needed to get into some counseling.
No, he needed a lobotomy.
All he seemed to want in the world was to have Ducky standing here with him, holding his hand, helping him navigate these changes.
No, that wasn’t true. He wanted Ducky in that stall, pumping his cock in and out of Chad’s mouth.
No. No. Not a thought to have right now, you ass.
He wondered what the shape of Ducky’s ass looked like now. Chad’s entire body hardened under the cold splash of water on his cheeks.
“You want my honest answer to what you just said?” Patient sincerity dripped from Tristan’s tone as he handed Chad a wad of paper towels to dry himself off. “I don’t think you really want what you’re striving for.”
How the hell did Tristan do that? Cut straight through Chad’s bullshit like that? “What?” Chad asked and stopped in the middle of wiping the towels over his face. Their gazes connected in the mirror above the sink. “I’ve worked damned hard…”
Tristan lifted one hand, stopping him from digging himself further into the hole of lies he created. “I’ve watched you for years. You conquered college with a vengeance, earning a master’s degree in the same time it takes most people to graduate with their undergrad. You laser-focused on professional golf. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as you’ve worked to get where you are. It’s almost as if you’re running from something.” Tristan said the words then let them sit there between them as he turned toward the bathroom door to leave. “I’m always here for you. I won’t push you, Chad, but I promise you won’t find balance until you become comfortable with who you are. Do I say anything to your dad about this?”
“No, not yet,” Chad said instantly. All his bullshit and diversion was only to try to throw Tristan off track to keep from telling his dad what had happened. His father worried too much about his kids and how his life change had affected them.