Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“We need some new blood around here if I’m the only single one left,” I say. Preferably someone to take the heat off me.
Lane gets back and takes the seat next to me. “Good. You didn’t sneak out while I was in the bathroom.”
“Don’t give him ideas,” Ezra warns.
I try to suppress a smile because I had actually contemplated an escape, but I’m not at that level of desperation. Yet. I’m close, but I’ll wait for a more opportune moment to make my move. Tonight, I want to hang out with my friends.
Babysitter or no babysitter.
But all too soon, the skills challenges wrap up, and that’s it for the night until tomorrow for the actual All-Star games.
Ezra stands. “Okay, everyone out. My boyfriend is going to be calling any minute to tuck me in and fuck my brains out over video call.”
I almost ask if I can stay and watch because I’m itching for some action, any action, but I already know the answer will be no.
Monogamy is contagious anyway, so I wouldn’t want to witness it. It might rub off on me.
“Where are you guys staying?” I ask the others as we all file out into Ezra’s hall and hit the call button for the elevator.
All four of them are staying in the opposite direction to us, so we say our goodbyes in the lobby and go our separate ways.
It doesn’t take long for Lane’s smug voice to let me have it. “Tonight was fun.”
I sense a trap.
“I couldn’t help notice the lack of orgies though. You talked all this big talk and didn’t deliver. I’m disappointed.” He’s so not disappointed. Just like I push his buttons, he’s trying to do the same.
It won’t work. “If you want, we can have an orgy right now.”
“Isn’t the definition of orgy more than two people?”
“We can bring my current boyfriend along for the ride.” I hold up my right hand. “And my side piece.” Now my left.
“No, thanks. Street sex really isn’t my thing. I know it’s yours, but some of us have dignity.”
“There’s nothing embarrassing about being shameless. It’s actually really freeing. You should try it sometime.”
“I would, but my pride would get in the way.”
“Ah. There’s your downfall. Dignity. Pride. They’re not worth it when people will strip them away from you anyway. People can’t take what you don’t have.” I tap the side of my head.
Lane searches my face as if trying to work out if I’m being serious or dramatic. “I’d say that’s very philosophic of you if it weren’t so depressing. Do you really have that little self-worth?”
Now there’s a loaded question and a half. One I don’t want to look into too deeply. I shrug instead.
The truth is I got rid of my self-worth years ago when I realized people would underestimate me or want to use me because of my outside appearance. No one cared to know the person on the inside, the person under the façade, because they either thought I had nothing worthy to say or because they simply didn’t care. Being treated as an afterthought, as someone who isn’t worth people’s time, really does a number on you if you let it.
Either way, it didn’t take me long to realize if people were going to take what they wanted from me, I wasn’t just going to sit back and let it happen. I was going to take what I wanted too.
“You okay?” Lane asks.
“I’m horny. How long am I going to be in team-enforced celibate hell?”
“Hmm, maybe about the same amount of time it took us to bury the video of you fucking two guys in an alley.”
“How long was that?”
“Oh, my guys are still sending out takedown notices to various websites.”
Urg.
“Sorry. You’ll be stuck with your boyfriend and your side piece for a while yet.” Now, he holds up his hands.
I stare over at Lane, at how calm he is … confident. I wonder how confident he’ll be later tonight while he’s asleep and I’m at a club getting my rocks off.
I’m experienced in sneaking past my PR handlers, though this will be trickier seeing as we’re in the same hotel room.
Lane says he’s playing by kindergarten rules—well, I’ve upgraded them to high school rules. How to sneak out of home without anyone knowing.
FIVE
LANE
After devouring room service for dinner, we each retreat into our separate bedrooms next to each other in the two-bedroom suite we’re staying in. I turn the lights out and wait. Oskar hasn’t given me any reason to expect he’ll sneak out tonight, but I’m going off a gut feeling. I have a hunch that Oskar isn’t going to be able to resist the temptation of being in a new city with endless possibilities.
He’s been way too well behaved so far.
Sure enough, just before midnight, I hear the slightest shift. Feet over carpet, the front door cracking open and then softly closing again. There goes my peaceful night.