Chapter Seven
“CHRIST’S HAIRY BALLS!”
Minh’s awed exclamation drifted out to Scott’s ears, and he cracked up, stumbling a little on the porch steps he was currently climbing. He caught himself before he crashed to his knees.
“I take it you like the place,” he called, laughing as Minh tumbled out through the front door of the cabin like an exuberant puppy.
“It’s fucking amazing! Where did you find it?”
“A friend of mine lets me use it. As long as he’s not here, or lending it to someone else, I can come up anytime I want.”
“Ooooh.” Minh elbowed him. “Got yourself a little love nest in the mountains, eh?” He gave a salacious wink.
“Actually,” Scott said, moving past him to the front door, “I’ve never brought anyone up here before.”
“What about the owner? He’s not that sort of friend?” Minh clearly didn’t believe it.
“No, he’s not.”
Minh’s face held intense curiosity, and Scott knew he wouldn’t let it go until he got some answers. “He hired me for VIP about a year ago,” he said reluctantly. “But all he wanted was for me to go out to dinner with him, have a drink. Just…talk.”
Minh waved his hand around the interior of the cabin, with its travertine tile, vaulted ceilings and stone fireplace. “And now he lets you use his mansion. Must have been quite a talk.”
“It was.” That was all Scott intended to say about it, and luckily Minh subsided, his attention caught by pictures in gleaming silver frames set along the mantle.
“Oh my gawd, is this him?” Minh brandished a photo, which showed a handsome older man, his black hair shot with silver. His arm was around a teenager who looked exactly like him.
Scott’s silence was his reply, and Minh squealed, “Oh, sugar daddy, come to your boy.” He hugged the picture to his chest before setting it down, diverted by Rylan shouting from the patio for him to come see the hot tub.
Scott trailed along behind, grabbing everyone’s duffles and climbing the stairs to the second floor. He tossed Minh’s bag in the guest room and headed into the master with his and Rylan’s. The evening light streamed in through the French doors leading to the balcony, and Scott opened them and went out, leaning his elbows on the railing.
Sighing, he gazed out at a peaceful view that never failed to relax him. Oak Creek was only a few yards away, and the oak trees themselves shushed in the breeze, the coolness wafting over his face. The sun was starting to set, and a pink and purple glow filled the sky with typical Arizona brilliance.
He smiled as Rylan appeared next to him, making a small sound of pleasure at the sight. “The cabin is amazing.”
It seemed natural to move behind Rylan and slip his arms around his waist, letting him settle back against him as they watched the sunset together. “I come up here once in a while. Just to hike, sleep, recharge my batteries.”
“It’s wonderful. Thanks for bringing me here.”
“Hey, where’s the motherfuckin’ bar in this place?” Minh called from the hallway, and Scott gave a disgusted huff.
“Starting to wish I hadn’t invited him,” he said ruefully.
Rylan snickered. “Yeah, he’s not really the relaxation and nature type, is he?” He caressed Scott’s forearms where they wrapped around him. “But he would do anything for you, wouldn’t he? I’m glad you invited him, because I can imagine you don’t get much time together these days.”
Scott felt warmth flood him at Rylan’s perceptiveness. “We don’t,” he admitted. “And there was a time when I barely let him out of my sight. If I don’t touch base with him every now and then, I start to get…anxious.” He took a deep breath, remembering his recent panic attack at the club, but Rylan turned in his arms and shushed him.
“I understand, and you don’t have to explain it to me. He’s important to you, and that’s all I need to know.”
“But ‘touching base’ doesn’t mean sex, Rylan,” Scott said earnestly. “When we—when we were living on the streets, yes, it was a comfort thing between us, a way to feel connected to another human being. A way to keep our humanity, I guess.”
Rylan nodded. “I can see that. He talked about ‘tricks,’ so I know you both did sex work to survive.” His voice was steady, matter-of-fact, and his eyes were devoid of the judgment and pity Scott so hated. “Having someone to make love to instead of conducting a business transaction—”
“All we had to barter with were our bodies. We had nothin’ else.”
“And you had each other.” Rylan smoothed his hands up Scott’s chest, stroking his thumbs over his collarbones. “I would never diminish that, or want to come between you.”
“He feels the same about us, Ry. He’s loud and annoying and pushy, but he’ll back off if we tell him to.”
Rylan shot him a reassuring smile. “I know. And I’m not so insecure that I’d ever resent your friendships, even close ones.”
Scott thought about his own reaction to Chris and gave an internal wince, making a vow right then and there to do better. He stroked his fingertips along Rylan’s jaw, feeling the rasp of his evening stubble. Rylan gazed up at him, his blue eyes reflecting the glow from the setting sun, his lips parting as Scott lowered his head…
“You guys want a drink or what?” came a shout from below. “It’s been awfully quiet up there, so unless Scotty is totally off his game, I can’t imagine you’re having the wild monkey sex.”
Rylan flushed red, and Scott chuckled, brushing his thumb over his cheekbone. “You’re such a delicious contrast of shyness and assertiveness. It gets me so hot.”
He couldn’t resist leaning down for a small taste of Rylan’s mouth, even the brief contact sending heat and arousal rushing through him, before he reluctantly pulled away.
They made their way downstairs, breaking into laughter when they saw Minh, shirtless in jeans and wearing a frilly white apron, standing in front of the oven. He danced over for a kiss from Rylan, shooting Scott an impish look.
“Made a pitcher of margaritas, and I’m roasting some veggies. Hot daddy stocked the place up for us.”
Rylan raised an eyebrow. “Hot daddy?”
“My friend Justin, the owner of the cabin,” Scott explained. “He always gets his housekeeper to lay in a few basic supplies for me when I come for the weekend.”
“Well, we had a big lunch, so I’m making something light for us to munch on to absorb the alcohol.” Minh handed Scott and Rylan each a margarita glass before checking on his pan full of veggies drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
They ate and talked and laughed, the liquid in the pitcher getting lower and lower. After a while, Scott found himself in the living room, sprawled out on the large leather sectional, the lights turned down, some music with a sexy reggaeton beat reverberating around them as Minh tried to teach Rylan how to do a body roll.
“You wanna bring all the boys to your yard, sweetie pie, you do this,” Minh purred, his body lithe and sinuous, his abs flexing as he put his arms up over his head, shoulders and hips moving in a smooth, continuous wave.
Rylan was no slouch on the dance floor, but his roll was more jerky, and Minh impatiently stripped Rylan’s T-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “Lemme see you workin’ that core,” Minh growled, moving behind Rylan and splaying his hands over his belly as he pressed in close. “Like this.”
Their bodies were soon flowing in perfect tandem, the sight making liquid heat pool in Scott’s groin. He devoured Rylan with his eyes, loving the contrast of Minh’s velvety brown skin with Rylan’s fair, the way Rylan’s head was thrown back against Minh’s shoulder as he concentrated.
As the two of them grew comfortable moving together, the dance became even more sensual, the eroticism creating a sexual tension that almost shimmered in the air. Minh smoothed his hands up Rylan’s bare chest, which was starting to glisten with the sweat of his exertions.
“That’s it,” Minh crooned, drifting his fingertips back down to ride Rylan’s hips as he undulated to the rhythmic thump of the bass. “So fucking sexy.”
Scott floated on a haze of arousal, and he pressed the heel of his hand between his legs, trying to soothe his erection. Rylan reached behind him and wrapped his arms around Minh’s neck, arching his back as Minh dipped his fingers teasingly under the waistband of his low-slung jeans.
The room was so dimly lit their bodies were in silhouette as Minh turned Rylan around and pressed him against a nearby wall. Scott watched as he threaded his fingers through Rylan’s hair and pulled his head back, mouthing along his throat, his tongue flashing as he licked the sweat from the hollow.
Rylan’s low moan had Scott’s balls drawing up tight, and he unzipped his pants, trying to ease the ache. Minh placed little sucking kisses down Rylan’s heaving chest and abdomen until he was kneeling in front of him, unbuttoning his jeans with nimble fingers.
Scott struggled up from the depths of the couch and made his way over to them, his fully erect cock jutting from his open fly. He put his hand on Minh’s head, and Minh turned to look up at him, his black eyes glazed with desire. Scott pulled him to his feet and into his arms for a passionate kiss, murmuring against his lips, “Careful, okay?”
Minh ran his hands up Scott’s back, fisting his shirt and pulling him close. “I know he’s your baby, Scotty.” His voice was tender in his ear. “Y’all just so beautiful, and I wanna help you make him feel good, that’s all. Trust me?”
Rylan was watching them avidly, his eyes bright with lust, so Scott answered Minh by cupping the back of his head and kissing him roughly, lots of open mouth and tongue, reveling in the familiarity of Minh’s response, the sense of warmth and comfort he always felt with him.
Breaking the kiss, Minh sank back down to his knees, nuzzling against Rylan’s abs as he continued undoing his pants, mouthing each patch of hair-roughened skin as it was revealed.
“Oh my,” he breathed, sitting back on his heels as Rylan’s dick sprang free. Minh pumped the shaft a few times, bringing a few drops of pearly liquid welling into the slit. He licked his lips.
“Does he taste as good as he looks?” He glanced up at Scott and then Rylan, as if seeking final approval. Rylan caressed Minh’s hair with a shaking hand, a pleading little whimper echoing low in his throat.
Scott gave a hoarse chuckle and leaned his shoulder against the wall next to Rylan. “Why don’t you find out for yourself?”
Minh gave them both a sensual, wicked smile before leaning in to take Rylan to the back of his throat.
“Oh, God,” Rylan moaned, writhing as Minh held him deep, swallowing around him. At last, he pulled back, a shimmering string of saliva and precome stretching from the head of Rylan’s cock to Minh’s full lower lip. Scott growled, gathering it up on his fingers and using it to jack Rylan with long, slow strokes.
“So fucking hot,” Minh rasped, leaning close to lick the swollen tip each time it emerged from Scott’s encircling fingers, until Rylan was moving his hips restlessly, needing more. He pushed Scott’s hand away from him and grabbed Minh’s hair.
“You ready for me to fuck that sweet mouth?” Rylan forced out between gritted teeth. “’Cause I want you to take it all.”
Minh swallowed him to the root easily, humming in pleasure. Scott watched, flattening his palm on Rylan’s abs, feeling them flex with each hard thrust.
“That’s it.” Scott traced his tongue over the shell of Rylan’s ear. “You’re so fucking sexy like this.”
Minh worked Rylan’s cock with all his considerable skill, and Scott kissed him, caressing his balls, sucking his nipples, until Rylan was almost sobbing with the need to come. Scott stripped his T-shirt over his head and handed it to Minh.
“Come for us, Ry,” he whispered against Rylan’s cheek. “Let us hear how much you love it, baby.”
Rylan’s moans increased in volume, his thighs shaking, until he froze, his head thrown back against the wall. Minh pulled off him with a pop of released suction and held the shirt over him, crooning as Rylan came hard, his muscles tight, teeth bared.
Scott pulled him close when he turned and slumped against him, panting hoarsely. “Jesus, you two almost killed me,” Rylan muttered, burrowing into Scott’s neck. Minh stood, tossing his shirt to the floor before pressing a kiss to Rylan’s nape and making him shiver.
“You’re just the sexiest thing ever.” Minh ran his hand over Rylan’s arm and across to Scott’s chest, dancing his fingers down to where Scott’s own aching dick bobbed through the fly of his sagging pants. Scott caught his breath as Minh gave him a few teasing strokes. “Now let’s go somewhere comfy and take care of this, shall we?”
Rylan glanced down and then up into Scott’s eyes, a wicked gleam in his own. “Oh, you’re in for it now, baby.”
* * *
Rylan propped himself up on his elbow, smoothing his hand down Scott’s heaving chest to sift his fingers through Minh’s silky black hair.
Minh lifted his head from Scott’s abdomen and winked. “Think he’s had enough?”
Scott groaned, his hands twisting in the sheets, and Rylan took a pebbled nipple between his teeth, lashing it with his tongue as Minh went back to work on the head of his cock.
“Please,” Scott gasped out, arching his back clear off the bed. “Rylan, please.”
Rylan kissed his way up to Scott’s ear, nibbling on it for a moment. “What do you want?”
Scott turned his head, his mouth seeking, and Rylan kissed him, taking his tongue deep, sucking on it, biting at his lips. Scott wrenched away, his green eyes wild. “I want to fuck you,” he grated. “I want to be inside you. Now.”
Rylan sat up, groping around for the condoms Scott dug out of his duffle when they’d all stumbled into the bedroom, and tossed one to Minh. “Get him ready for me.” He watched avidly as Minh took his time smoothing the condom on Scott and coating him with lube, before finally rolling out of the way with one last nuzzle of his balls.
Rylan straddled Scott, reaching behind himself to take him in hand, surprised when Scott suddenly jackknifed up and grabbed him around the waist before flipping him to his belly. He gasped as Scott yanked on his hips. “Shoulders down, ass up, Ry,” he ordered, and Rylan moaned, pulling his knees under him and sliding them far out to the side. Scott smacked his flank sharply, once, twice, making Rylan buck.
“Oooh, we pushed him to the edge. This gon’ be good. Enjoy, sweetie.” Minh climbed off the bed and disappeared out into the hall just as Scott spread Rylan’s cheeks wide apart and licked him from his balls to the small of his back.
“Jesus!” As Scott sucked on his hole, stabbing his tongue into the center, Rylan dug his fingers into the mattress, trying to anchor himself as the aching pleasure spread through his body and threatened to overwhelm him.
“Open up for me, Ry,” Scott whispered, his wicked tongue circling. “Show me you want me.”
Rylan took a deep breath, and pushed out, loving Scott’s growls of satisfaction as he softened beneath his mouth. With a last stinging slap to Rylan’s left cheek, Scott pulled back, Rylan groaning anew when he felt Scott rubbing the slippery head of his sheathed cock against him.
“You want me to fuck you, Rylan? Shove this inside you?” He prodded insistently at him, demanding entry.
“Oh, God, please,” Rylan begged, widening his knees and lifting his ass higher, reveling in Scott’s hoarse moan at the sight. “Take me, Scott.”
Scott gripped Rylan’s waist with bruising fingers, and Rylan concentrated on breathing as the head of Scott’s cock slowly breached him, the stretching and burning stealing Rylan’s breath.
“God, you’re so big,” Rylan gasped, pushing up on his palms, arching his back to try to ease the way. Scott gave a low, sensual laugh, thrusting sharply to slide in a couple more inches. Rylan groaned, and Scott circled his hips, his pants loud in Rylan’s ears.
He craned his neck back for a kiss, the hot, wet silk of Scott’s mouth contrasted with the sweet pain of Scott moving inside him making him sob. Scott kept up the slow, measured thrusting until he was fully seated, his hipbones pressing against Rylan’s cheeks.
Rylan broke the kiss and dropped his shoulders back down to the bed. Scott took the hint, rearing back and slamming forward again while yanking Rylan’s hips up to meet him.
The sound of their skin slapping together was loud and the bed creaked lustily under them. Rylan’s helpless cries were punctuated by Scott’s grunts of exertion as he fucked into him hard and fast. He bit down into the sheets as Scott rammed into him, gasping a litany of “yes, yes” down into the tangled fabric. Scott gave him a few more strokes before suddenly hilting himself and stopping. Rylan dragged his eyes open, raising his head questioningly, and Scott came down over the top of him, giving him his full body weight, pressing him flat into the mattress.
Scott slid his hands slowly up Rylan’s arms to his clenched fists, teasing his fingers open before tangling them together. He roamed his lips over Rylan’s cheek and up to his ear.
“You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Scott’s whisper was barely audible, just a breath of sound. Rylan closed his eyes as Scott started moving again, long thrusts punctuated by slow circles of his hips. He relaxed fully into the soft bed, turning his head just enough to rub Scott’s lips with his, both of them murmuring incoherently into each other’s mouths as the pleasure built, until Rylan spilled onto the sheets beneath him with a soft cry.
A low groan welled in Scott’s throat, and he froze, his cock throbbing deep inside him, his hitching breaths gusting against Rylan’s cheek. He wrapped his arms under Rylan’s shoulders and buried his face in his neck, holding him close until their shudders stopped.
Scott rolled to his back and stripped the condom off. He wrapped it in a handful of tissues he pulled from a box on the bedside table and dropped the whole thing to the floor. Rylan scooted out of the wet spot and into his arms, settling in with a sigh. “That was fun.”
“It was.” Scott’s voice was slurred with contentment. “The best part is, Minh got us off and then left.”
Rylan chuckled. “Aww, I wouldn’t mind sharing some snuggles with him.”
“Speak for yourself. I wanna sleep and that boy doesn’t know when to shut up. Good riddance,” Scott teased, and they laughed quietly before drifting into silence.
After a moment, Rylan lifted his head from Scott’s shoulder, running his fingers idly over Scott’s stubbly jaw. “Minh told me how you met.”
Scott tensed for a brief moment before relaxing again, throwing one arm up over his head. “Did he tell you I followed him around the streets like a little lost puppy? I was scared shitless, and he knew everything: the places to avoid, the tricks who were bad news.”
Rylan rubbed his palm in languid circles over Scott’s sweaty chest, brushing teasingly against his nipple. He bit his lip when Scott caught his breath and growled, “If you don’t stop that, I’m going to want you again.” He reached down and gave Rylan’s ass a squeeze.
“Mmm.” Rylan nuzzled into Scott’s armpit, breathing deeply of the arousing musk. “Well, he gave you a lot of credit for what you did, too.” He strung a series of tiny kisses across Scott’s upraised bicep.
Scott shivered at the same time he gave a self-deprecating snort. “I didn’t do jack but play off my looks like I have my entire goddamn life, except bonus, this time it made things a bit better for people who’d never had anything come easy for them.”
“So how is that not deserving of some credit?” Rylan asked. “You used what you had to help other people as well as yourself.”
Scott’s face tightened. He pushed Rylan away and sat up, wrapping his arms around his knees. “I also sold myself on a daily basis.”
“And?”
Scott’s look was incredulous. “What do you mean, ‘and’? I was a whore! From the moment I left that house with Joel until the moment Corey Lindermann put that first paycheck in my hand.”
Rylan held his eyes steadily. “So tell me about it.”
Scott’s mouth worked soundlessly before he threw up his hands in disgust. “Not much to tell, Ry,” he said, bitter sarcasm dripping from his voice. “I fucked people for money.”
“I get that. What happened after Joel left you at the truck stop?”
Scott got out of bed and started to pace, lacing his fingers behind his head. “Why the fuck are we even talking about this now?” He sounded angry, his motions agitated and jerky. “I wanted to go to sleep!”
Rylan didn’t move, or speak, and he buried his shaking hands in his lap, clenching them together. He was acting purely on instinct, a bone-deep certainty suddenly churning in his gut that this was the right time to lance a bit more of the poison lurking in Scott’s soul.
He sat quietly and let him wrestle with old ghosts, until Scott blew out a breath, going to the window and bracing his palms on the sill, looking at his own reflection in the glass. “After Joel drove off, I stood there for at least half an hour waiting to see if he’d come back. Waiting to see if he’d fucking come back.” The last two words were whispered, and he tapped his fist on the glass, leaning his forehead against it.
“But he didn’t.” Rylan’s voice was equally as soft. “So what did you do?”
“I went into the diner and sat at the counter, ordered the cheapest thing on the menu. I’ll never forget it. Cream of tomato soup.” His back was tense, the muscles in his arms corded.
Rylan pushed off the bed and went to stand behind him, freezing in place when he heard Scott warn, “Don’t you dare fuckin’ touch me right now.”
Rylan took a step back but didn’t fully retreat. “I won’t,” he said, as reassuringly as he could. “Just tell me what happened. Please.”
“I ate my soup, tryin’ to stop shiverin’. Wasn’t workin’.” His voice was thick, raw, and Rylan’s heart ached at how terrified he must have been. “Listened to all these truck drivers around me talkin’ about their routes, their freight, and I remembered something.”
He spun away from the window and began to pace again. “I went around and I asked everyone in that goddamn place, ‘Do you know Robert Mahoney? He’s a truck driver, too.’” His lips twisted. “Like out of all the thousands—the millions—of people that pass through there, anyone would know one dude from motherfuckin’ Pace, Florida.”
Rylan lowered himself to sit carefully on the end of the bed and just listened.
“Big surprise, ain’t nobody did. I went and stared at the one little payphone at the edge of the parkin’ lot, dialin’ that number over and over in my mind. I even got close enough to lift the receiver once. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t call—her and admit what I done. Admit that I was a big, fat, stupid failure.”
“You weren’t a failure, Scott, you were a kid!”
Scott’s lips twisted in a sneer. “Not to her. A failure is all I was and ever will be to her.” He slumped. “No, I’m not even that, am I? I’m nothin’ to her. I’m nothin’.”
Rylan reached out to touch his shoulder, but before he could, Scott moved out of reach, shaking his head as if to clear it.
“So,” he said briskly, “back to the truck stop. When I was wanderin’ the parkin’ lot, I’d watch these girls approach the drivers, askin’ if they wanted a bit of ‘commercial company.’ Most times the guys would tell ’em to beat it, but a few times the girls would crawl in the cab of the truck with ’em and come back out with cash.”
Rylan nodded, but kept silent.
“I knew if I tried it that way, I’d get my fuckin’ teeth knocked in, so I had to be more subtle. These big truck stops, they have locker rooms and showers for the drivers to use, so I took my last few bucks and bought some tokens to go in.”
Scott walked back over to the window and rested his head against the glass again, his eyes distant. “I hung out for hours. Took lots of showers, walked around naked, displayin’ the goods. Eventually I caught this old fat guy checkin’ me out when he thought I wasn’t lookin’.” He gave a snort. “Man, that dude couldn’t take his eyes off my ass. So I followed him out to the parkin’ lot, and I let him fuck me in his truck in exchange for twenty dollars.”
Rylan knew that was coming, but still, hearing Scott say it aloud caused searing pain to knife through him, slicing him to ribbons. He blinked back tears. If only you’d called, Scott. If only you’d called.
Scott didn’t even look at him. “I did that over, and over, for days. Hung out in the shower room, pickin’ up guys who showed an interest. I was careful to only have sex with ’em in their trucks, but eventually the manager caught on to what I was doin’ and threatened to call the cops, have me arrested for prostitution.”
Rylan straightened up, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. He was proud of how steady his voice was when he asked, “How did you get to Phoenix?”
“Long story short, the next guy I picked up, I waited till after I blew him, when he was all relaxed and shit, in a good mood, before I asked if he’d take me with him wherever he was goin’.” Scott lifted one shoulder in a shrug, his lips tight. “I ended up in Phoenix.”
“So how did you meet Corey?”
Scott gave a sort of toneless laugh. “Oh, fuck, that was so random.” His body language was stiff, forbidding, but Rylan was gratified when he came to sit on the end of the bed again. “Minh and I had this favorite homeless outreach place we liked to go to. It wasn’t Jesus-y, and they gave out free condoms, no questions, no lectures. Sometimes people who needed day laborers posted flyers, or came in looking for help. One day this guy came in, said he was lookin’ for sign spinners for a new nail spa opening up soon.”
“What’s a sign spinner?”
Scott looked at him. “You know, those guys who stand on street corners and spin advertising signs around trying to get people to come into a business? You ain’t never seen those?”
Rylan shook his head, mystified, and Scott huffed impatiently. “Whatever. The guy was willin’ to pay cash, so I said sure. My job was to stand on a street corner waving a big sign advertising the salon’s grand opening, and every morning the dude bought me a huge-ass Gatorade to drink, even gave me a cheap MP3 player so I could listen to music. He said people like it when the sign guy dances a little while he spins, and it draws more attention to the business.”
“How long did you do that?”
“Couple weeks. It kinda sucked. Got flipped off a lot, had stuff thrown at me from cars. But the guy paid me in cash every night, about thirty bucks for six hours’ worth of work. I didn’t have to suck dick for it, so I wasn’t gonna complain too hard.” He smirked. “Then one mornin’, I accidentally spilled Gatorade all over myself, so I just said ‘fuck it’ and took my shirt off to let it dry while I worked.”
“I can imagine that was quite a sight.”
“Yeah. I didn’t think nothin’ of it, but the owner of the salon suddenly came out to see what was goin’ on, said women were stoppin’ in to ask if it was gonna be the kind of place where hot shirtless guys did nails and hair. Kind of like the bikini haircut places you see geared toward men. It was a great idea, he said, and he was gonna redo his business model to make it like that.”
“Wow.”
“It’s now one of the most popular nail places on this side of town. I hear he’s plannin’ to open another one out by the college campus.” He gave an impatient shake of his head. “That’s not the point. The point is, Corey drove by one day and saw me dancin’ like an idiot on that street corner, shirtless, and he pulled into the parkin’ lot and hired me on the spot to do the same thing outside his brand-new gay bar. Wore a fuckin’ Speedo, and got so much business comin’ in he eventually put me on salary instead of hourly. At my suggestion, he brought Minh on as a cocktail server, and Minh hit it off with one of the house drag queens, who offered to be his drag mom. Before long Teena Teeze, and Fantasy Fridays, was born.” He shrugged. “The rest is history.”
“Oh, Scott, I’m so impressed by what you—” Rylan put his hand on Scott’s shoulder but yanked it back when Scott shot him a contemptuous sneer.
“Save it. Don’t fuckin’ patronize me, Rylan.” He stood up and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt from his duffle, yanking them on. “I’m just a whore who cleans up well, that’s all. A Trashworth through and through.”
He stuffed his feet into his sneakers and strode for the door.
“Scott.”
Scott stopped but didn’t turn around, and Rylan said quietly, “When I look at you, I don’t see a whore. I see a survivor.”
Scott’s back was to him, but Rylan could see the way his shoulders bunched, his hands clenched into fists, before he disappeared without another word.
Rylan buried his face in his hands and let the tears fall.