Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 80689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80689 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
p.s. Keep this with you. Don’t set it down, lose it, or destroy it.
Tension rises in me.
Maybe I’ve been reading Ryan all wrong. Maybe after what I told him, he does want to fuck me. What if he’s asking me to meet him in the woods so he can strip me bare and take me right there?
Fuck, I’m not ready for this.
Since I arrived, I’ve read some articles and watched some gay porn to get an idea of what I might encounter, but what if ten minutes from now, he expects me to go down on him…or wants even more than that?
My nerves are shot as I consider the requests Ryan might have. A part of me thinks, It’s 10K, so you need to do whatever the fuck he wants you to do. But I don’t have the pill Simon gave me to help me get hard. Although, for all I know, Ryan just wants to bend me over and go to town on my ass without a condom or lube…maybe not even a little spit.
I’ll figure it out. Maybe I’ll be able to navigate it without a pill. And I can always stall if I need to.
I pack dirt into the wheelbarrow and head to the woods, accepting my fate. I leave the wheelbarrow by the area where we’re spreading dirt, then follow the trail, and in about two minutes, I come to a creek.
As I wait for Ryan to arrive, I’m on edge.
You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, I remind myself.
I finally see him coming along the trail. He approaches me without even looking at me, just like he had the past few days. He’s a difficult guy to read as it is, but it’s damn near impossible as he settles before me and says, “So…” There’s a lengthy silence, and then he goes on, “Jonas, I know you’re not here to help around the yard.”
Fuck.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Makes me a liar, but part of my deal with Simon is that Ryan can’t find out what I’m really here for, so I’m not surrendering until I know what Ryan thinks he knows.
Ryan hesitates, then says, “Simon brought you here for a reason, Jonas, and I don’t know what it is, but you’re gonna tell me.”
“I…”
“Is this about some fucking money? Ten grand? Is it really worth it to you to fuck with people’s lives for some cash?”
Simon told him about the 10K?
“Like I said, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Maybe if I just straight-up deny it, I’ll be fine. Although, this doesn’t seem like a confrontation that will lead to Ryan wanting to fuck me anytime soon.
He gets right in my face, his jaw clenched, his glare hard on me. “Bullshit. Simon hired you, and you know as well as I do, no one’s getting ten grand to do this kind of labor for a few months in the summer, so cut the crap.”
The red in his cheeks, the tension in his shoulders and face, all reveal his anger, but the way his chin quivers and his body trembles suggests most of his rage is buried under the surface, a wild animal about to tear through its cage.
“And I know it’s not an accident that you look like Kieran, so just tell me why you’re here.”
“Kieran?”
It’s the first time I’ve heard this name, but as soon as he says it, I know this is the guy I remind him of.
Ryan’s penetrating gaze stays on me, probing into my mind. Something about it urges me to tell the truth, but another part of me is shouting that I need the fucking money, so I only manage: “I can’t say anything. I’m sorry.”
As soon as the words come out, his expression relaxes. I can tell it’s soothed him to have his suspicions confirmed, but now I’ve put my payday at risk.
His gaze wanders for a moment, like he’s thinking. “Jonas, I know you can’t, but we’re safe out here.”
“Safe?” Am I in danger?
“Simon doesn’t have any way of recording us out here.”
At first, this sounds wild, but I guess it’s not weird to have security around a mansion.
“I need this money,” is all I can think to say, and again, his expression softens.
Though neither of us is showing our hands, it feels like a truce.
“I get that,” he says. “But if you tell me why you’re here, I won’t blab to Simon. I can maybe even help you with whatever you’re supposed to do.”
When he says that, I reconsider my silence. This would be a lot easier if Ryan knew the truth and worked with me, whereas if I maintain my silence, he may want to have nothing to do with me, and I might spend my summer working my ass off for nothing…unless I can somehow talk Simon into giving me cash for the hours I’ve put in.