Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65346 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Rex cracked his neck. He didn’t say anything at first, making me worried that I might have overstepped some invisible boundary.
“My dad, he’s running for re-election this year. It’s probably the worst time ever for his only son to be involved in a sex scandal.”
“In a what?” I must not have heard right. Rex, although definitely not the most vanilla guy around, didn’t seem like someone who’d get wrapped up in a salacious scandal. Even in Costa Rica, he had been extra careful about us kissing and hooking up.
“Benji, since our trip, since that one night we spent together, I’ve known one thing for sure: I’m not straight. I’m bi, a hundred percent. I love dick way too much to be straight. But no matter how sure I felt, I could never be open about it. So when I hooked up with this girl, Penelope, who told me she loves to watch two guys go at it, I asked if she’d help, uh, facilitate this. We’d hook up, the three of us, at least once a month, sometimes more. I trusted them. It wasn’t some random people I met through an app, so I felt safe. I let my guard down.”
“Crap.”
“Yeah. Crap.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth, stress lines forming on his forehead. “Last week, I was at a party with Mav. I was hooking up with Penelope and Scott, and that’s when I saw the hidden camera.”
I gasped, my heart sinking and my stomach twisting into a tight knot. “Are you fucking joking? What happened?”
“I grabbed the camera and threw it against the wall. But it was too late—whatever they got was streamed up into the cloud or whatever.” He lifted a weak hand up toward the ceiling. “They sent an email to my dad before I had even left the party. They threatened to leak the video if he didn’t send a hundred thousand dollars.”
“Rex… My God.”
“My dad didn’t send any money—I wouldn’t have wanted him to. But he did cut me off immediately, and seeing as how I wasn’t exactly being frugal up until then, I didn’t have anything saved. Your brother offering me the guesthouse was a lifeline I’ll never forget.”
“I can’t believe it… Do you have any idea of who has the tape?”
“None. Mav helped hire a private investigator, who’s looking into it for me, but I’m not all that hopeful. I feel like they’re either waiting for the hundred thousand or waiting for the week before voting starts to dominate the news cycle.”
I winced. This physically hurt me. The invasion of privacy and loss of control made me sick.
“I’m sure the detective will find that tape before it leaks. Mav has good judgment—I’m sure he got the best detective he could find.”
“Maverick did sound pretty excited by him.” He let out a breath that sounded like he’d been holding it for years. “I don’t know. We’ll see, I guess. I try not to think about it too much.” His frown started to grow into a smile. “I’m glad I don’t have to leave either. You’re a great distraction. I’m only obsessing over my problems for about half the day; the other half I’m thinking about you.”
That brought a blush to my cheeks. The heat spread through me, lighting up parts that shouldn’t be lit right then.
“I’m glad you’re staying, too,” I said.
“Well, good,” Rex said, a hand running absentmindedly over his chest, seemingly unaware of the effect that move had on me.
He’s about to be very aware if he looks down.
“I didn’t want to leave so soon. I’ve missed you, Benji.”
Oh. Okay, wasn’t expecting all that.
“I missed you, too.”
It’s done. Never again.
“You know, Benj, ever since that trip to Costa Rica, I’ve… I don’t know. Everywhere I go, I feel like I’m looking for something. Someone.” Rex took in a breath, his hand falling to his side. “When I got here, I didn’t feel like that anymore. Even though my entire life is turned upside down, something about being around you made things start feeling right again. Even if we were in separate rooms or if we were right next to each other. Something about knowing you were good and only a door’s knock away, it makes things feel okay.”
I swallowed what felt like a boulder. “That trip…”
“It changed my life, Benji. You changed my life.”
“But… fuck, Rex. I don’t mean to be dramatic but… well, you kind of ruined mine.”
His eyes opened wide at that. He looked like a fish out of water, mouthing some words that didn’t add up well enough to form a proper sentence.
“You did,” I said. I’d already opened the wound, might as well address it fully.
“Okay, I think it’s time we talked about Costa Rica, then,” Rex said, crossing his arms, biceps looking good enough to take a bite out of.