“I work at the school. I’m a TA for two professors, and I scored a position in the finance department. It’s been a good job. Managing students’ loans keeps me busy.”
Mine keep me busy, too. “You still live with your parents?” It wasn’t as odd as it seemed, but she was employed and could afford to be on her own.
“At twenty-seven, I should be living on my own, but I have a pretty good deal at home. The second floor is mine. It has everything from its own kitchen, to a master suite and living room. Zero rent is a bonus. Makes it easy to save for a permanent place.”
“Wow, that does sound amazing.”
I couldn’t imagine having those benefits. Maybe that’s where Mim got her confidence. She didn’t have to stress about everyday life. Instead, she could focus on planning her future. That had to raise self-assurance.
“Do you want to see it? I’d love to have you over.” Mim stood and took my hand.
“Maybe someday, but I don’t think your father would be happy if he found me in your home.” In fact, I was sure Marcus Knight would be anything but happy.
On the stoop of her brownstone, I kissed her. It was a soul-searching, heart-stopping kiss I’d never forget. When she melted into my arms and welcomed my tongue into her mouth, I was a changed man. I’d wet my wick hundreds of times in the last two years, but that kiss was the most intimate moment of my existence.
I walked toward the subway with a smile as wide as the Hudson River plastered to my face.
Chapter 6
Mim had mentioned the night before that she left for work at half past seven, so at twenty minutes past the hour, I was standing outside her door with a steaming hot Chai tea with honey in my hand.
She backed out of her door dressed in a blue wrap around dress and black boots. When she turned, I was leaning against the wrought iron rail that flanked her front steps.
“Good morning.” I pushed off the rail and offered her the tea.
Her smile was sun-warm and bright. “You’re going to spoil me. What are you doing here?” She wrapped her arm around mine, and we walked toward the subway station.
“I didn’t have anything going on this morning, so I thought I’d escort you to school. I’m trying to up my Romeo skills.” Saying it out loud made me feel like I was back in high school, ready to carry my girlfriend’s books. Girlfriend? No way. Mim was just a bright spot in an otherwise dull day. “After class, I’m stopping by the library for a while to do research for my project.” I tried to frown at the mention of my project, but the way she twisted her lips and rolled her eyes made me laugh.
“Are you going to whine until May?”
“Maybe. Will it work in my favor?”
“Only if you want the pointy toe of my boot planted on your bum.” She looked down at her shoes and faked a sidekick to my backside.
“I was hoping for something a bit more friendly.”
I slid my arm up her back and wrapped it around her shoulder. In her heels, she was still a head shorter than me. Her small stature was misleading because she carried herself like a linebacker intent on winning the Super Bowl. She was formidable, a perfect mixture of sweetness and strength.
“I’ll show you friendly.” She stopped at the corner and pulled me down by the collar of my oxford shirt. When we kissed, she bit down on my lower lip and nibbled. Holy hell, if that wasn’t the hottest kiss ever.
“I like your version of friendly.” I stilled and took her in. She wasn’t what I needed at this time in my life, but I’d be damned if I could let her go. Those damn expressive eyes and full, kissable lips had jumbled my senses.
“I like you, too, Luca. Who knew you’d be the perfect escort, and I thought you were just a pretty face.” She cupped my cheek and rubbed her fingers across my scruff.
No words were ever truer. I wasn’t perfect, but I was certainly an escort. However, when I was with her, I was just Luca Gregorio, and that suited me perfectly.
We exchanged numbers on the subway. When we reached the university, I walked her to the finance building. She wouldn’t be in class today, so I gave her a kiss she’d remember and walked away.
At nine o’clock, my phone buzzed with a message from Mim.
Dinner tonight? My place at six?
Mim
Sadly, I wouldn’t be able to get together with her tonight. I had a client to service. Talbot was easy, she had a fetish, but generally speaking, an hour was all she needed. It was a bummer that our appointment was at seven. Not enough time before dinner, and too late to eat after.
I’m working tonight and tomorrow night. Want to spend the day together tomorrow?
Luca
I held my cell phone waiting for her to reply. It took her ten minutes. I’d just about given up when her message came through.
Sorry, I have to work. Imagine that? I’m disappointed you're booked for the night. I was hoping to see you, but I suppose I’ll have to wait until the morning. Be at my house at nine. I have time to take you to my favorite place for eggs.
And there was bossy Mim again. She didn't ask, she demanded, and I didn’t mind. I liked that she knew what she wanted. It took the confusion out of things.
I’ll be there.
Luca
After class, I spent hours in the library looking at a computer screen until it blurred. That’s when I knew I’d looked at numbers long enough. The trek through campus led me to the commons area where I heard my name called from across the lawn.
I shaded my eyes with my hand and scoured the area. Standing in front of the coffee shop was Father Tobin. I’d spent nearly two years on this campus, and not once had I run into a priest. I held up my hand and waved, but he flagged me over. My stomach lurched, then tightened.
“Hey Father, how are you?”
The young priest opened the door of the coffee shop and ushered me inside. What was it these days with pushy people? First Mim, and now Father Tobin. It was obvious I was giving off a vibe that said I needed guidance, at least where the priest was concerned. He seemed to be showing up everywhere.
“I’m good, Luca. More importantly, how are you? You’ve been on my mind lately. Coffee or tea?”
“Nothing for me. Did you need something?” I looked around to see why he would summon me, but there were no massive vases of flowers or broken down pipe organs. The only people present were a few students. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air.
“No, I thought we could have a chat. I think you need something, Luca. I’m not sure what it is, but I see it in your eyes. Maybe I could help with that.” He ordered two cups of coffee and handed one to me.
Obviously, I was having coffee with the priest. “Why are you on campus?” We walked to the end of the counter where the milk and sugar were kept. I poured enough milk into my coffee for it to become a latte. Tobin poured enough sugar into his cup to go into a diabetic coma.
“I teach a theology class on Fridays.” He led me to the booth where I had sat with Mim. I slid to the side where she had been reading The Scarlet Letter.
“That makes sense. I’m not usually here this late on Fridays, but I was working on my research in the library.” I was also fantasizing about Mim, but the priest would never understand. I studied Father Tobin for a long minute. His blond hair was cut military style, off the collar and above the ears. Many would consider him handsome. “How does one stay celibate?” I didn’t realize my thought had been vocalized.
“Well, that’s a question many ponder, but few have the courage to ask.” Father Tobin folded his napkin in half and placed his cup on top of it.
“I’m sorry, I seemed to blurt out a thought. You don’t have to answer.” In all honesty, I was curious how a man could give up the very act that made him feel like a man.
“Everything we do requires choices. I dated in school. I had a girlfriend for quite a while, and I’m certainly not a virgin. But one day I woke up and had an unquenchable desire to serve God, that was stronger than my physical desire.”
“I could never be a priest.”
“You can be anything you want to be as long as you’re honest with yourself. Are you honest with yourself, Luca?” Father Tobin pinned me with his eyes.
“I’m a realist, Father.”
“Are you?” Father Tobin rubbed his finger and thumb over his chin. “When I look at you, I see a man in turmoil. A man trying to find a balance between who he is and who he wants to show the world.”
“I’m in a transitional phase in my life. I’m figuring it out.”
Was I trying to convince him or myself? I had roughly eleven weeks to live in my fake world, and then I’d be free to live authentically. I had a new take on things. Mim was the light at the end of a dark tunnel for me. I could get through the following weeks knowing I could eventually give myself over to her. “Listen, Father, I have to run. I have to hit the gym and get cleaned up before I go to work. It’s been nice chatting.”
“Come to the church on Sunday, Luca. Mass is every hour until noon.” He slid out of the booth and patted my back. It was a kinder and gentler pat than he gave me the other day. This one felt like encouragement.
“I heard you accept saints and sinners.”
“That we do because you know what? We all rotate between the two. We’re human.”
* * *
Strenuous workouts at the gym often cleared my head, but today my workout had me thinking about Mim.
“Get your head in the game.” Jack pulled the weights I struggled with up to the bar. “What the hell is wrong with you lately?”
“I’m under a lot of stress.”
“Then sweat it out.”
Jack pulled twenty pounds off the bar but upped my reps. He wasn’t going to let me slack off. He never did.
“I only have you for a couple of months, I’m leaving my job, and this perk will go with it.” Leaving the athletic club would be good. Every time I came here was a reminder of my responsibility to stay fit, but hard bodies weren’t the only hard requirement.
By the time I finished with Jack, I was drenched in sweat. He must have felt like it was his duty to give me my money’s worth. I’d be feeling the burn for days.
Back at my building, Italian workers were laying travertine tile when I arrived. They looked up and snickered while they called me ‘pretty boy’ and made fun of my suit. Little did they know, I spoke fluent Italian, and when I told them this pretty boy made three hundred and fifty dollars an hour wearing this suit, they shut up and went back to grouting.
My apartment felt different. Gone was the weight of disappointment that hid in the dirty dishes and laundry, and in its place were hope and a glimpse of happiness. Even pulling my research from my backpack didn’t seem overwhelming or depressing.
I had this. I could do it.
The next hour was spent creating graphs for my assignment. Visuals were always good. People tended to believe what they saw.
The familiar ding of my phone pulled me from my creative corner where I’d color-coded the gains and losses of the top one hundred companies traded on the NYSE for the last five years.
Have a good night. Don’t work too hard.
This feeling of bliss at seeing Mim’s simple message was new to me. Was this how real happiness felt? I didn’t need hundred dollar bills shoved down my trousers to make me smile. I just needed a little powerhouse of a woman to wish me a happy day. Who knew life could be that simple?
I’d rather be with you.
Luca
She responded right away.
Call in sick and come over.
Having that option would have been nice, but I had my eye on the finish line.
That would be irresponsible and certainly wouldn’t help with my student loans.
Luca
She wouldn’t understand firsthand about student loans. Her father indisputably paid for her education. Mim lived a life of privilege. She lived in a fancy brownstone, went to fancy fundraisers, and wore couture clothes, and yet she always seemed grounded. She was a conundrum to me. She was bossy, yet soft. Haughty, yet humble. Simple, but also complex.
Can’t blame a girl for trying. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough for me, and it wouldn’t get here until today was over, so I showered, dressed, and left for my next client.
Jessica lived on Fifth Avenue, not too far from where Jade and River lived. Her flat sat high on the fifty-sixth floor and overlooked the city.
Jessica was an unusual client. She was the Vice President for Global Finance, her father’s company. They specialized in international trade. I don’t know what molded her love life or lack thereof. She wasn’t ugly, nor beautiful either, but she was sweet, and she had a weird fetish. She preferred a vibrator to a man, but the vibrator didn’t give her the one thing a man could—hot semen on her body. I provided that.
The doorman smiled as I entered. He knew me by name. I’d been coming, literally, for almost two years.
“Hey, Luca.” Sam pulled the door open for me.
“Can you tell her I’m on my way up?” I slipped him a ten and stepped in front of the elevator.
“You got it.”
I walked into the waiting car and zipped up to the fifty-sixth floor. There were only two units per floor. Off to the right was Jessica’s.
She opened the door when I arrived. “Hey, how are you? I ordered Chinese.” She was dressed in jeans and a pink T-shirt. At thirty-six, she still looked like a teen. Her brown hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and bounced back and forth as she walked down the hallway.
“Did you get my favorite?” This was part of our routine. We had dinner, chatted about TV and sports. Sometimes we played a game. I never knew if I’d be here for an hour or three. I just went with the flow.
Jessica was misunderstood. I imagine people never gave her the benefit of the doubt since she inherited her job, but she was smart and capable. Her privileges limited her life.
Was it the same for Mim?
Jessica never knew who to trust or what their motives were. I suppose that was why it worked for her and me. She knew what motivated me to show up every Friday like clockwork. I was like a scheduled manicure in a way.
“Yep, crispy duck for you, and Moo Goo Gai Pan for me.” We sat at the black lacquered table and ate.
“How was work?” I always started our conversation out the same. She was comfortable with talking about work, and I always gained something from the details she shared.
“Good. We’re expanding in Singapore. My dad wants me to take over that market, but I’m not sure I want to do that. I like it here.” She glanced around her apartment. The simplicity of the modern architecture blended in with the city outside. Crisp, bold colors bounced off the abstract art that lined the walls. Everything else was black, white or red. This was her—bright, bold and honest.
“It could be good. You could get away from your dad and establish yourself without his influence. Maybe find a boyfriend…” I rarely brought up outside relationships, but having spent the last few days with Mim gave me a new perspective on how much happiness the right person could bring to my life.
She spooned a healthy serving of chicken and button mushrooms onto her plate. “Now you’re dreaming. You think most guys would put up with me? I’m in love with batteries, silicone, and the low rumble of my rabbit’s motor.” She popped a mushroom into her mouth.
I opened the box of crispy duck and inhaled the thick, smoky scent. “Men have just as many fetishes as women. There is someone for everyone.”
“What about you? Are you going to find a girlfriend—someone you can share more than your dick with?”
“I met someone recently that could be that girl. Right now, I refuse to share my dick with her, not that she’s asked. This,” I pointed to the crotch of my pants, “is simply a work tool right now.”
That was the thing I liked about my time with Jessica. We didn’t pretend it was a date. In fact, we had built a friendship on the hon
esty of what we were to each other. I was hot semen, and she was a regular deposit into my account. There was something beautiful about our lack of pretenses.
“Luca, that’s great. Just don’t screw it up.”
“I’m doing my best not to. I’m walking a slippery slope right now. She doesn’t know I do this for a living.”
“I don’t think I’d tell her.”
“Good advice.”
We chatted about funny things, like why hot dogs come in packages of ten and buns come in packages of eight. Why airline travel is supposed to be safe, but they call the airport a terminal. Our final thought before we headed to her bed was why they don’t make cat-flavored dog food.
She opened her drawer and looked over her collection of rabbit vibrators. She chose the pink one that matched her T-shirt. I stood at the end of the bed and tugged her jeans off. She never wore underwear. I didn’t know if it was something she only omitted on our Friday nights or something she practiced with regularity.
I pointed to her cotton tee. “Your shirt, off or on?” I slouched out of my sports coat and pulled my shirt over my head. She liked me bare-chested.
“Off today. I want to feel you come on my breasts.” She tugged her pink cotton tee off and released her bra clasp to let her girls fly.
It was funny how I could see Mim in a sexual way, but when I looked at Jessica, I might as well have been a construction worker and her body a hammer. All in a day's work.
She lubed up her device and went to work. She had it down to an art, and lately, it was a game to see if I could jerk myself to climax as she reached hers. I unzipped my pants and gripped myself. Thumb on top and three fingers placed in the perfect position with the perfect amount of pressure, I stood between her legs and began to stroke myself.
I knew she was getting close by the way she tensed her thighs and her back rose from the mattress. “Wait for me, Jessica.” I gripped harder and tugged faster.
“Damn it, Luca, I’m cresting.” Her moans became loud while her body quaked.
I closed my eyes and pictured Mim. In my imagination, she was the one holding my hardness and every stroke was her doing. My body exploded hot strings over Jessica’s breasts. While I fantasized about Mim, Jessica writhed against a silicone penis that would emasculate most men.
Honor Roll Page 6