Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“Maybe you shouldn’t go on the trip, then,” he said. “Not if it’s going to cost you something you love.”
“No, I’m definitely going. I can’t hold on to that job by acting like a dog with a bone, guarding it from anyone who’d try to take it from me. All I can do is hope for the best. If the job’s gone when I get back, then that’s just the way it is. And even if it doesn’t get taken from me after next week, it’ll happen sooner or later. It’s inevitable. I won’t be mad about it either, because I get it—clubs only survive in this super competitive market by staying on trend and bringing in the crowds.”
“But if you’re good at what you do, won’t you always be able to find work?”
I shrugged and said, “There are only so many gigs to go around, and every year there are a hundred new kids on the scene, vying for those same clubs and events. Not that I intend to just roll over and give up. Like I said, I work hard to stay at the top of my game, and it’s not like it’ll all just dry up overnight. But it’s been on my mind lately because I’m turning thirty at the end of summer, and that’s hitting me harder than I expected.”
“Does turning thirty really bother you? For me, it was actually a positive thing, since it was harder to be taken seriously when I was in my twenties.”
“I can see why that’d be true for a doctor, but I’m in a very different position. I spend half my life in nightclubs, where it’s all about youth and beauty. And let’s face it, twinks like me are really only desirable while we’re young and cute. I don’t like the word twink, by the way, but since I’ve been called it since I moved here at eighteen, I’m going with it. Anyway, between turning thirty and the constant influx of hot, young, talented DJs into the local club scene, I can’t help but feel I’ll soon become both irrelevant and invisible.”
“I can’t comment on your job because I don’t know the industry,” he said, “but I can tell you with certainty you’re so much more than just a pretty face, Ash. You’re a fascinating, intelligent, and complex individual. And yes, you also happen to be gorgeous, but that’s just one of a long list of things you have going for you.”
“I probably just seem interesting because I’m so different from the types of people you’re used to.” Wes frowned at that, and I said, “Anyway, I wasn’t fishing for compliments. I was just trying to explain why I got that tattoo.”
I climbed out of bed and looked around for my briefs, then gave up and selected a new pair. As I pulled them on, I asked, “Are you hungry?” He nodded, so I said, “Good, me too. Let’s order dinner.”
“So, what do you like on your pizza?”
“It depends on who’s making it. If it’s from my very favorite place, which is what we’re getting tonight, the answer is caramelized onions, pesto, fresh mozzarella, and goat cheese.”
He chuckled and said, “I wasn’t expecting such a pretentious answer.”
I grinned at that. “Dude, that bottle of overpriced grape juice you brought couldn’t have actually been more pretentious.”
“It could have been so much more pretentious! Do you know how easy it is to drop a bundle on a bottle of wine?”
I sat on the edge of my bed and pulled up the local pizza place on my phone as I said, “Next time, just bring some root beer. That goes great with pizza.”
His face squished up like I’d just suggested serving our meal with a pitcher of baby snakes. “Oh god no.”
I shot him a look. “Have you ever actually had root beer?”
“Once, and it was vile.”
I tapped my screen a few times and said, “I’m adding a six-pack of this great locally made root beer to our order. They’re not all created equal.”
He pulled on his shirt, and as he rolled back the sleeves, he asked, “Just so I know, do you hate all wine, or just the one I brought?”
“All wine. It’s so gross. I’ve never understood how anyone can stand it.”
“Do you like other types of alcohol?”
“I like cocktails that cut the boozy taste with other stuff.” I looked up from my phone and asked, “Do I need to order this pizza half and half, or are you willing to try it my way?”
“I’m skeptical.”
“What do you normally order?”
“Plain cheese, not that I eat pizza very often. I did when I was in med school, but these days I have to watch my diet.”
His shirt was still unbuttoned, and I ran my gaze down his toned swimmer’s body as I said, “You can afford the calories.”