in front of her door and said good night. Then out of nowhere she sprayed me with mace. I backed away and tried to get the solution out of my eyes. Then she smash a brick into my head until I passed out.”
My appetite was gone. I was holding a slice in midair but I didn’t take a bite. My jaw was unhinged and my breathing halted. “Oh my god…what the hell?”
“It gets better.” River didn’t seem to be disturbed like I was. He told the story with a smile on his face, like this event wasn’t traumatic. “When I woke up, I was tied to her bed. My hands and feet were bound so tight it cut into my skin. And of course, I was naked.”
I dropped the slice I was holding because I was so disgusted. “I don’t think I want to hear anymore of this…”
“She didn’t hurt me.”
I covered my face but separated my fingers so I could stare at him with one eye.
“She wanted to have sex with me and she knew she wouldn’t get any from me. So…long story short…she made it happen anyway.”
I took a deep breath and my lungs burned in pain. “That’s…there are no words.”
“She’s in jail now so everything is okay.”
“Everything is not okay.” I slammed my hands down on the table. “You were raped. You can’t just sweep that under the rug.”
“Rape isn’t as emotional for a guy as it is for a girl.”
“And that makes it okay?” I snapped.
“No, it doesn’t,” he said calmly. “But I don’t want you to feel bad for me. She let me go and I moved on with my life. It wasn’t the end of the world.”
I shook my head in disgust. “That’s just wrong…”
“I’m a lot more careful now.”
I stared at my pizza, no longer hungry.
River continued to stare at me. “I’m sorry. I meant for the story to be funny…”
My eyes didn’t move.
He leaned over the table and rested his hand on mine. “Beautiful, look at me.”
Hearing him call me that caught my attention. My eyes moved to his.
River had an apologetic look on his face, like he cared more about hurting me than what actually happened to him. His thumb moved across my knuckles, stroking me gently. “Everything is okay. Please don’t feel bad for me. I don’t want that. I’m fine, really.”
“Does that happen to the other guys?”
“Thankfully not.”
“I would never do that to you,” I blurted.
He gave me a small smile. “I picked up on that.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. Then he returned it to the table. “Now, let’s move on.”
“You shouldn’t kiss me, even if you think it will help with Nathan.”
He leaned back in his chair and gave me a knowing look. “I know I shouldn’t kiss you. I know I don’t have to kiss you. I kiss you because I like kissing you. So, don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hey, I get to kiss a beautiful woman and get paid for it. My life is awesome.” He pushed my plate closer to me. “Now stop overthinking it and just eat.”
I finally relaxed and picked up my slice.
“You’ve always wanted to be a secretary?”
“No. I went to school for graphic design but had a hard time finding a job. When I had to start paying back my loans, Nathan’s dad gave me a job working for his son.”
“You know him personally?”
“Our families are really close,” I said. “I can never get away from him—unfortunately.”
“So, this is temporary?”
“It was meant to be.”
He rested his arms on the table. “But seeing Nathan every day has made it difficult to live, I assume?”
“A little,” I admitted.
River didn’t give his usual argument. “What kind of designing do you do?”
“I make all kinds of things, predominantly websites. I’ve always been good with computers, but I’m also creative. It just worked for me.”
“That’s very cool,” he said.
“How did you become an escort?”
“Well, that’s a long story,” he said as he continued to eat.
“I have nothing else to do.”
“My friends and I graduated
My appetite was gone. I was holding a slice in midair but I didn’t take a bite. My jaw was unhinged and my breathing halted. “Oh my god…what the hell?”
“It gets better.” River didn’t seem to be disturbed like I was. He told the story with a smile on his face, like this event wasn’t traumatic. “When I woke up, I was tied to her bed. My hands and feet were bound so tight it cut into my skin. And of course, I was naked.”
I dropped the slice I was holding because I was so disgusted. “I don’t think I want to hear anymore of this…”
“She didn’t hurt me.”
I covered my face but separated my fingers so I could stare at him with one eye.
“She wanted to have sex with me and she knew she wouldn’t get any from me. So…long story short…she made it happen anyway.”
I took a deep breath and my lungs burned in pain. “That’s…there are no words.”
“She’s in jail now so everything is okay.”
“Everything is not okay.” I slammed my hands down on the table. “You were raped. You can’t just sweep that under the rug.”
“Rape isn’t as emotional for a guy as it is for a girl.”
“And that makes it okay?” I snapped.
“No, it doesn’t,” he said calmly. “But I don’t want you to feel bad for me. She let me go and I moved on with my life. It wasn’t the end of the world.”
I shook my head in disgust. “That’s just wrong…”
“I’m a lot more careful now.”
I stared at my pizza, no longer hungry.
River continued to stare at me. “I’m sorry. I meant for the story to be funny…”
My eyes didn’t move.
He leaned over the table and rested his hand on mine. “Beautiful, look at me.”
Hearing him call me that caught my attention. My eyes moved to his.
River had an apologetic look on his face, like he cared more about hurting me than what actually happened to him. His thumb moved across my knuckles, stroking me gently. “Everything is okay. Please don’t feel bad for me. I don’t want that. I’m fine, really.”
“Does that happen to the other guys?”
“Thankfully not.”
“I would never do that to you,” I blurted.
He gave me a small smile. “I picked up on that.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. Then he returned it to the table. “Now, let’s move on.”
“You shouldn’t kiss me, even if you think it will help with Nathan.”
He leaned back in his chair and gave me a knowing look. “I know I shouldn’t kiss you. I know I don’t have to kiss you. I kiss you because I like kissing you. So, don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hey, I get to kiss a beautiful woman and get paid for it. My life is awesome.” He pushed my plate closer to me. “Now stop overthinking it and just eat.”
I finally relaxed and picked up my slice.
“You’ve always wanted to be a secretary?”
“No. I went to school for graphic design but had a hard time finding a job. When I had to start paying back my loans, Nathan’s dad gave me a job working for his son.”
“You know him personally?”
“Our families are really close,” I said. “I can never get away from him—unfortunately.”
“So, this is temporary?”
“It was meant to be.”
He rested his arms on the table. “But seeing Nathan every day has made it difficult to live, I assume?”
“A little,” I admitted.
River didn’t give his usual argument. “What kind of designing do you do?”
“I make all kinds of things, predominantly websites. I’ve always been good with computers, but I’m also creative. It just worked for me.”
“That’s very cool,” he said.
“How did you become an escort?”
“Well, that’s a long story,” he said as he continued to eat.
“I have nothing else to do.”
“My friends and I graduated
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