“Is it, though? I’m not telling you to stand on a street corner. In fact, I’m not telling you to do anything. But if you were to consider it, if you’re even into older men, I know a guy.”
Kevin parted his fingers to peek at him, but his heart went into an uncontrollable gallop. “Keep talking.”
Brandon’s phone meowed to signal the arrival of a new message, and he looked at the screen with a wide grin. “In fact, he’s interested.”
Kevin screamed out and curled his feet up on the sofa. “Oh, my God! You did not!”
Sweat beaded on his skin within seconds and dampened his white T-shirt as Kevin rolled into a ball, trying to calm his frantic heart.
Brandon’s grin only widened. “Oh, yes I did!”
Kevin got off the sofa and paced from one side of the large living room to the other, so confused by the unidentifiable mix of emotions buzzing in his chest he narrowly missed the drinks trolley. Desperate for air, he opened the terrace door, letting in a cool breeze and the scent of rain. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, taking several deep breaths in a row before glancing over his shoulder.
“What did he say?”
Brandon smirked and pointed the camera at Kevin’s backside. “Asked for more photos.” Snap.
Kevin’s eyes went wide, and he lunged at Brandon. “No! Don’t send it!” He pulled the sparkly phone out of his friend’s hand and deleted the picture, but his gaze lingered on the screen, unable to ignore the conversation sparked by the photo of his pouting face. Brandon had been talking to a man whose name was so sexy just reading it had shivers running down Kevin’s back.
Sandro.
[Show me more,] the man said.
Brandon: [Front or back?]
Sandro: [Back. How tall is he?]
Kevin bit his lip at the avatar showcasing wide shoulders and a silk tie, but obscuring the face. “Unusual name,” he uttered, unable to keep his curiosity at bay.
Brandon wiggled his eyebrows. “He’s Italian.”
“And you’ve met him?”
“Yep.”
Kevin’s heart wouldn’t cease its erratic beat. “And he’s hot?” So maybe it was shallow, but he was allowed that as a potential future possibly-maybe Sugar Baby.
Brandon nodded, his smirk that of a fox about to dash inside the chicken coop to steal all the chicks. “No more sneak pics. Promise. Wanna pose for me?” he asked, extending his manicured hand for the phone.
“Are you sure that—?”
“Kev, chill. I’m telling you, you’re his type.”
Kevin’s head buzzed with questions. Having photos taken didn’t mean he’d agreed to anything else yet. And he couldn’t lie, he was… curious about the possibilities this strange proposal opened. He was also broke. It couldn’t hurt to see where this rabbit hole led.
His palms were clammy when he stood by the terrace door with his back to Brandon. The thought that some man—a hot, older man—wanted to see pictures of him, maybe even wanted him, was such a revelation his brain couldn’t keep up with analyzing this new reality where he wasn’t just a boy left with nothing, but someone of value.
Brandon vouched that this guy was safe, and he was right about Kevin’s options. There weren’t that many. So Kevin was a virgin, but he wanted sex. Would it be such a crime to mix work with pleasure? He’d need to know more about this ‘Sandro’ first, but he was surprised to find that instead of making him queasy, the prospect of being desired by this stranger filled him with growing excitement.
He’d make big money fast, show his parents the finger, and be free to do things his own way.
Kevin turned around when asked and even dared a smile, boldly staring into the camera lens.
Brandon typed something, eyes on the screen as he spoke. “Would you pose in underwear?”
Heat shot up to Kevin’s face, but he only hesitated for a moment and took off his T-shirt. “This better be worth it,” he warned Brandon and pushed off his sneakers, more exhilarated than he’d been in ages. It gave him a thrill to imagine Sandro in a suit, sitting behind a desk in some office, forgetting his very important job because he was too thirsty for photos of Kevin to wait for his lunch break.
Brandon nodded as Kevin took off his jeans and stayed in white briefs. “It will be if he likes what he sees.”
Kevin got on the couch. He wasn’t sure what was expected of him, so he improvised and propped one leg on the cushion. He hugged Cronut, who jumped on the seat next to him, curious about what was going on, then let go of the cat and tried not to laugh as he bent over the backrest, pretending to reach for something. He’d never imagined that would be the case, but he loved showing off. He was slender, his body so unlike Brandon’s more muscular form, and whenever his thoughts drifted to the fact that there was a man potentially willing to pay for meeting him felt like hitting the jackpot at a casino.