Chapter 1
“How the fuck am I going to pay the rent?”
That question echoed in my head like a ping pong ball bouncing back and forth across a table. Mr. Cary was the man I was indebted to. He was the landlord of the apartment I lived in. Well, I wasn’t sure that was going to be true in a few days.
I looked down the hallways of my apartment suite to see if he was wandering around.
The coast was clear.
I felt like a little kid trying to skip a curfew imposed by his parents. There was no way I could keep avoiding him. I was already behind rent to begin with. Mr. Cary had claimed my security deposit when I missed the first deadline. At least the man was generous enough to give me an additional extension to scrounge up enough cash for rent. Nonetheless, I held my breath like some ninja trying to avoid detection in the fortress of an enemy.
I couldn’t believe I had gotten myself into this situation after moving in just six months ago. With a new job and a steady paycheck, it seemed like I was on top of the world. Now, I had already eaten into my security deposit and was a month behind rent. Mr. Cary had given me a new lease of life with the extension. However, I was going to come back empty-handed.
I couldn’t really blame the man. He had always been forthright when it came to being my landlord. Mr. Cary always listened to everyone’s concerns and did his best to fix up the place. Hell, he had every right to kick me out after I missed rent day.
Instead, the blame lied with me.
I had never been the best poker player. I wore my emotions on my sleeve. Anyone could read my hand with ease. I was a lamb to the slaughter at the poker table.
Nonetheless, I regularly attended my co-workers biweekly poker game. I was the new kid on the block at my new job and I wanted to be social with the people I would be working with for the next few years. My co-workers never intended to bamboozle me out of my money but they did it, regardless.
Over and over again.
The culpability was mine. I played so poorly throughout those nights. Every winning hand I received turned out to be a dud. At least one of my co-workers always had something better.
I was so eager to prove myself that I stopped playing with beer money and started putting rent money on the table. I knew that putting my savings into the winning pot was stupid but I couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to look like some big shot.
Regardless, it was too late to change the past. I would have to either come up with the cash in a few days or get kicked out of my apartment. Sooner or later, I would have to face the music.
It turned out to be sooner than I expected. “Hey, Seth! What are you doing up so late at night?”
I turned to see one of my neighbors hauling trash into a nearby dumpster. I probably looked like a deer in headlights. “Craig? I’m just doing my rounds.”
He rolled his eyes and easily saw through my lie. “Come on, tell me what’s really bothering you, Seth. You’ve been worked up these past few days.”
There was no point in acting so evasive. “I’m late on rent. If I don’t pay, then I’ll get kicked out. It was already hard enough finding a place here for my job. I can’t imagine finding another on such short notice.”
“Jake Cary’s an understanding guy,” Craig replied, placing a hand on my shoulder. He had lived here for years and knew Mr. Cary pretty well. He even visited our landlord’s suite every now and then. “Just sit down with him and explain your situation. Believe me when I say that the guy wants you to stay. It takes a lot of work finding and negotiating a new tenant to replace you. Jake is not going to kick out a tenant and lose a reliable source of income over just a month of rent.”
I shook my head. “He’s already give me an extension after taking my security deposit. I can’t believe I’m going to get evicted…”
He did have a point about Jake being merciful. The man was a widower who had retired early from his lucrative job as a lawyer to run an apartment complex. His days as a lawyer had paid him well enough that he could survive off the rent income alone. The man was quite laidback and charitable as a landlord. However, I wasn’t eager to test his generosity.
Craig rubbed his chin. “Just talk to him. I’m sure he’ll work out something with you. Jake understands if business was bad for a month. Like I said, he doesn’t need the headache of trying to replace one of his tenants.”
I didn’t bother to tell him I had lost it all at the poker table. “Thanks, I’ll give it one last shot.”
I didn’t want to lose my apartment. It wasn’t too far from the bus stop to work. The surrounding town was great with nice people. The weather never bothered me. Most of all, the rent wasn’t all that bad for what I was getting. Jake charged well below the market price for an apartment suite. I guessed his fortune meant that his lucky tenants didn’t have to pay an arm and a leg to live in their apartments.
And I had to be an idiot and ruin everything.
I didn’t know how I could make up the difference in such short notice. My next paycheck was a week after the deadline. I barely had anything left in my bank account. Even if I had put up my belongings on eBay, it would still take weeks to make the transactions.
I decided to take Craig’s advice and head back home. There was no point in sneaking around the place to avoid a conversation with Jake. This was all going to come out into the open one way or another. I had to concentrate on making rent before my landlord cornered me about missed payments. I didn’t want to come home one day and find out that the locks had been changed.
I lied in bed brainstorming a way out of my predicament. I just needed a way to scrounge enough money to pay him off what I owed. It would be smooth sailing once I got my next paycheck and banned myself from attending any future poker games. Unfortunately, none of the options seemed viable.
Like a five year old who had fallen off his bike and scrapped his knees, I thought about calling my parents for help. My parents had money saved up over the years. It felt shameful to ask a pair of pensioners for their money but it was an option.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been so easy to ask my parents to spot me some money or else I would’ve already done it. My mother would worry and my father would ask questions about what had happened to my paycheck. I didn’t want to explain to them that I had gambled away two months’ worth of my salary.
I could always say that I had cashed out my paycheck and gotten mugged on my back from the ATM. However, I didn’t want to lie to my parents. Besides, my father could ask me why I had taken so long to file a police report.
No, I didn’t want to make things even more complicated than they already were.
I also didn’t want to hit up my friends up for quick cash either. I had already made a fool of myself by wagering my salary at the poker table. I didn’t want to look like a moocher on top of looking like a gambling addict. The less my friends and co-workers knew of my financial situation, the better.
The last option was to ask the company I worked at for an advance. I could get my paycheck early and pay off my rent. In return, they could garnish my future wages or make me pay interest. It wasn’t great for my ego but it was preferable to getting kicked out of my apartment.
Of course, it wouldn’t be that simple. I knew that my boss was looking to belt-tighten the office’s finances for the next fiscal quarter. I was some new guy on the lowest rung of the pecking order. I would be the first one to go if I looked like some spendthrift employee. I couldn’t risk my future employment just for a payday loan.
I was stumped.
I didn’t know what to do. My apartment was in the perfect location. It had been hard finding a vacancy around these parts. I’d probably have to pay nearly double for another apartment in this town. I didn’t have enough in the bank account to tide me over until I could find a new place.
I was faced with the prospect of effectively being homeless. I didn’t think any of my friends would have want me to couch surf indefinitely at their places. There was no choice but to face
Jake and come to an agreement.
Chapter 2
The next day, I showered, shaved, and headed to Jake’s apartment suite. He had one on the premises so he could take care of any issues at a moment’s notice. It wasn’t fancy or extra large. The man didn’t give himself any special treatment.
Maybe he was a man of reason was well.
As I approached Jake’s door, I felt like a prisoner on death row. I had used up all of my lifelines with my landlord. I didn’t know what else I could do to get some extra time. He would probably think I was more trouble than I was worth.
I couldn’t blame him.
Resigning to my fate, I rang his doorbell. Whether it was malice or ignorance, Jake made me wait an agonizing minute. I was just about to press the bell again when the door swung open.
Jake stood in the doorway with a look of surprise on his face. “Seth?”
The man was rather good looking for someone well into his middle age. He wore an evening robe that ended just above his ankles. It looked like I had caught him at a bad time.
“You weren’t expecting me, Mr. Cary?” I asked. I figured he would be waiting on his couch with a fully loaded shotgun. “I thought you would be hounding me since I missed the second deadline.”
He chuckled. “Oh, right! I can’t keep track of my tenants even if my life depended on it. Sometimes, I think I’m in the wrong line of work!”
I faked a laugh to look approachable. “Yeah…”
“Well, come on in. Make yourself at home. And please call me Jake.”
I didn’t have much of a choice. I followed him inside to his apartment suite. As I said before, it wasn’t that much bigger than mine. In fact, it felt a little cramped since Jake had converted a room into an office. His dead wife’s room hadn’t been redecorated either. He wasn’t living it up behind the scenes.
Jake passed by his liquor cabinet. “Want something to drink? Bourbon? Whiskey? I even have a nice bottle of sake from a friend. He got it from a trip to Japan. I’m dying to find a reason to open it.”
I shook my head and sat on his couch. “I’d prefer it if we get down to business. As you know, I haven’t been able to make rent, even after the extension on the deadline.”
He sat opposite of me on a chair. Looking disappointed that I was here to talk about rent, Jake sighed and said. “I suppose you’re here for a second… third extension. Sorry Seth… but I can’t give you another. It’s not fair to everyone else. There have to be at least some rules in this place or else everything would fall apart.”
It was now my turn to sigh. “I wish I had come here with the payment.”
“How the hell did you mess up so badly?” he asked, rubbing his forehead. Jake sounded more curious than judgmental. “Don’t you get your paycheck by now?”
There was no point in lying. I had already made a fool of myself. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I said. “I lost it all at the poker table.”
“Always know when to cut bait,” Jake replied, sounding a bit like my father. At least he looked a bit sympathetic. I guessed telling the truth had paid off. “That’s what I always told my late wife when we visited Las Vegas. In any case, you should’ve been more forthright about your problems. We could’ve worked out a solution but it’s too late now.”
I frowned. “Isn’t there anything you can do? Let me get my next paycheck and I can give you back the full amount with interest. Please, let me stay!”
Jake rubbed his chin. “I already cut you some slack once. It’s a hassle doing the paperwork for a new tenant but believe me when I say that there is a long line of people wanting to get lodging in my apartment complex. I imagine some of them would be more financially responsible than a person like you, Seth.”
It was a bitter medicine to swallow. “Jake, just give me another chance.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to evict you unless I get the full amount by the end of the week,” he said to my dismay. “It’s the best deal I can give you. Otherwise, I’ll have to start looking for someone new.”
“I can’t find another place to stay on such short notice,” I pleaded. I put on the saddest face I could. It wasn’t difficult since I was depressed as hell. “Look, maybe we can work something out.”
Jake paused for a moment. “Do you think you can come up with the payment in a week?”
I sucked in my lower lip. “I’d practically have to sell off all of my possessions…”
Even that wasn’t a surefire plan. It would take weeks to find a buyer. I couldn’t make that kind of scratch within a week.
“Perhaps, we can work out an alternative arrangement,” Jake offered. “I’m looking for someone to help me out.”
My eyes lit up at that. “Really? What do you have in mind?”
I wondered if he needed help with maintaining the apartment. I knew Jake preferred to be hands-on rather than hire a professional unless the job was too big for him. I wasn’t sure what services I could provide. I wasn’t exactly a handyman or good with tools.
Besides, the apartment was in pretty good shape. Jake always called the repairman if there something wrong. A gardening crew beautified the complex every season. This place was an absolute steal for the price we were paying.
However, Jake had other plans. “What type of work are you good at, Seth?”
The fact that he was even entertaining this idea was a win. Nonetheless, I wasn’t sure what kind of help I could provide him. I was a computer programmer by trade. I felt more comfortable with a keyboard than with a hammer. Unless he needed me to create a software program for him, then I wasn’t much use.
Still, I had to make myself look useful. I straightened up my shoulders and said. “I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do some hard work, Jake. I’ve helped my family with things like construction work.”
It was better if he thought I could pull off an odd job or two. In truth, I was the type of guy to work on logistics or ordering pizza. I couldn’t change a flat tire or change the oil of my car. I would just have to wing whatever he threw at me.
Thankfully, Jake took the bait. “Hmmm… there is something that I need help with. However, I’m not sure you’ll be up to it. It’s a very demanding job.”
I didn’t hesitate in my answer. “Jake, I’ll do anything to make things square between us.”
“You’ll have to be a bit more specific, Seth.”
I leaned forward from the couch. “Just give me any kind of work and I’ll get it done.”
Jake rubbed his forehead. “Well, this looks like a mutually beneficial deal. I need help. You need a home to stay in.”
I smiled when I realized that this was working. “What do you have in mind, Jake?”
The man looked at me stone-faced. “Just how desperate are you to continue living here?”
My heart skipped a beat. I wondered if he was on to me. “Like you said, it benefits both of us.”
“Yes it does,” he chuckled. I didn’t understand the joke but I laughed as well. The man had a strange smile on his face. “I guess you want to know what I’ve planned for you.”
I felt a shiver down my spine. This was starting to seem like a bad idea. I wanted to trust my sixth sense but I didn’t have any other options. “I’m listening.”
“Good, it’s a simple enough business transaction,” Jake replied, looking cocksure of himself. “I have certain… needs that have to be taken care of. Do what I say and I’ll forget that you’re two months late with the rent.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Your needs?”
He nodded and laughed. “A man of my age has the same desires as a younger man. It’s been tough since my wife passed. Between work and other commitments, I don’t have the time to date like you kids. However, having someone like you here in the apartment complex is very convenient.”
His statement nearly stopped the breath cold in my chest. I knew exactly what he was after. “Wait… you seriously want me to have sex with you? But I’m a straight guy!”
�
�Maybe being a straight woman will help,” he answered, sounding completely serious. “I’ll need you to dress up as a woman as well. I still keep some of my late wife’s clothing. I think they’ll fit you nicely.”
I blinked in disbelief. “You want me to dress up like a woman and fuck you?”
Jake laughed. “Well, I would be doing most of the fucking.”
I always thought my landlord was a lonely widower. I figured your sex drive waned when you got older and older. I could have never guessed that Jake was gay and had an active sex life. Stranger still, he wanted me to dress up in his late wife’s clothes.
Despite how weird this all seemed, I was more interested in this offer than I would’ve liked to admit. It wasn’t just about getting another lease of life. Having to fuck Jake while dressed up as a woman seemed strangely compelling. It didn’t hurt that he wasn’t exactly hard on the eyes.
The Trans Ultra Collection Vol 3 Page 22