Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“Okay, I’ll be waiting eagerly by the phone,” I mutter sarcastically. Brick chuckles and gives me a quick hand wave.
“I’ll see you later, Tammy. Enjoy the barbecue.” And with that, he leaves the greenhouse.
This time, I am truly alone in here. When I hear the door close, I let out a long breath. I was holding so much tension in my body. I hadn’t even realized how much. Jesus Christ, I’m about to pass out.
“Oh, dear God. Is this really happening?” I look at the bonsai trees. I know they won’t have any comforting words for me, but their interesting shapes do help me feel a little more centered.
If Brick keeps his end of the deal, then this whole situation might not be a total mess. I feel good knowing that I’m saving my father’s job at least. I had no idea he was at risk for being fired. I knew he’d been having trouble keeping up with some of the newer and younger employees, but it seemed like he was doing well enough to keep everyone happy. At least this way, our whole life isn’t going explode into a million tiny pieces.
Unless Brick was lying just to push me into a tough spot, but there’s no way for me to know that for sure. I’d rather not take that chance, though.
And it might not be a totally horrible experience. Brick is a really attractive guy, and it feels nice knowing that someone like him is interested in me. I’m not used to getting a lot of attention from men. They usually ignore me in favor of prettier and skinnier girls, but I’ve gotten used to this.
It’s nice to be the one someone’s pursuing with vigor for once.
Plus, it’s just one tape. Getting three back and only giving him one might be a decent exchange. At least this way, I’m not netting zero. And he can’t go to the police once I get the surveillance tapes back. I technically win more in this scenario.
I leave the greenhouse. It’s time for me to head back outside. I might just go home. I know my parents won’t be ready to go home yet. They love staying at these things for hours, hanging out and talking to their friends. When I was younger, the main activity that kept me sane at these events was following Brick around, catching glances of his gorgeous face.
I take out my phone and send my parents a quick text, letting them know I’m catching a taxi back. What I need is a long bath and then an even longer nap. It’s been a stressful day, and I’ve got to de-stress. Especially with this new tape I have to make for Brick.
“Jesus Christ, what have I gotten myself into?”
I won’t know the answer to that question until I am back in the studio with Brick rolling the camera. It was one thing to film myself, but it’s a whole new ball game to have another person in the room with me.
While I wait for my taxi to arrive, I think about what might happen in the coming week. I’m sure Brick is going to want to get this tape done as soon as possible. Thinking about it has me all excited just standing here in the parking lot.
But this is neither the time nor the place to be hot and bothered. I’m going to go home, take the bath I’ve been thinking of, and have the nap I desperately need. After all of that, then, and only then, I can sit down and really think about the situation I’ve gotten myself into.
And what a situation it is.
8
Brick
One Week Later
I managed to convince Tammy to make another tape for me. I wasn’t sure if she would go for it, which is why I made sure to come with a few convincing points of my own. Although there was initial hesitancy on her part, she eventually agreed to do what I wanted.
She was able to negotiate me down, though. She’s a lot more business savvy than I initially thought. She’s proving to be more of a challenge than I had anticipated, but I like that. She’s got spirit.
I didn’t want to come off as too eager after our meeting in the greenhouse. She seems to have already picked up on some of my enthusiasm, which she then used against me. After getting her number, I only texted her the necessary details for our session. I made sure our correspondence was professional sounding the entire time. It’s a bit odd given what we were texting about, but I wanted to set a certain tone.
I set the date for our session for a week later, which meant thinking about it over the next few days. I’m usually better at pushing things to the back of my mind, but the thought that I would get to see Tammy all sprawled out naked has been rolling around in my mind nonstop.