Page 4 of Enslaved

“What the—” A memory creeped in. He had been at a party. There had been tons of drinking and a more risqué version of spin the bottle they had dubbed five minutes in the closet. He had spun the bottle and ended up with a chubby kid that didn’t run in his crowd. They had five uninterrupted minutes in the closet to do anything. Back then, Heath hadn’t been the least bit picky about who sucked his dick. Still, Court was full of shit. “That wasn’t you.”

Court simply stared at him, as if waiting for Heath to come to terms with reality.

Heath struggled to combine the vague memory of that night with the man standing in front of him. It didn’t happen. “That wasn’t you. If you went to school with me, I’d at least recall your name.”

“Be real, Heath. You didn’t know anyone outside your popular kid clique.”

The confusion had him completely off guard. “It was just a stupid game.”

“Was it?” Court sounded unbelievably cold. “I thought so too until you tumbled from that closet and told all your little buddies what a good little cocksucker I was.” Court did the air quotes and everything.

The first hint of guilt hit. He might have done that. Everyone was a shithead when they were young and dumb.

Unfortunately, Court didn’t stop there. “Do you have any idea what that did to my life? I got bullied and sexually harassed. Assaulted. It got so bad, I had to go to a different school. Not that it mattered. They had heard the rumors there too. That little game ended with me in the hospital when I tried to kill myself.”

“I don’t remember.” Heath didn’t know why that was the only thing he could think to say.

Court shrugged. “The hammer never remembers the nail.” He threw down his racquet. “You know what? Sic your lawyer on me and ruin my reputation. It won’t be the first time.” Court walked away, leaving Heath alone and stunned.

For a moment, Heath simply stood there, trying to figure out what had just happened. Thankfully, it didn’t take him long to rally. He grabbed their gear and ran after Court. Heath caught him as he reached the parking lot. “I drove.”

“I know,” Court called over his shoulder, sounding exactly like he thought Heath was dumb. “Ubers exist.”

Heath jumped into his path. He walked backward as he tried to calm Court. “Would it make you feel better if I returned the favor? You could tell everyone I give terrible head, have a small dick, and cried afterward.”

Court tried stepping around him.

Heath stayed in his path while still herding him toward the car. “Would it make a difference if I told you I bragged to everyone because no one had ever made me blow so fast? I was embarrassed.”

Court stopped. “You were embarrassed because a fat nobody you didn’t want made you lose control.”

Actually, no. Heath seriously hadn’t cared about Court’s weight or looks. He just wanted to get off. Heath didn’t think it would be a good idea to say as much. “Look, you pick what we do tomorrow.”

Court huffed. “I told you. I’m done. Sue me.”

Heath held his stare. “You can choose anything.”

With a huff, Court shuffled from foot to foot. “You don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“Nope. Come on. I’ll take you home and you can think of a proper way to punish me tomorrow.”

Court rolled his eyes, but he let Heath open the door for him. Heath took it as a good sign. He didn’t know how to fix what he had done or even why he considered doing so. All Heath knew was he felt guilty, which never happened to him. For that reason alone, he had to make this right. Court didn’t say a word on the drive home. Heath was more than a little surprised when he didn’t jump from the car and run for the door the second Heath stopped in his driveway.

For a moment, Court stared at nothing. Finally, he blew out a breath. “Keep the six-a.m. tee time. If, and I’m serious about this if. If you swear to teach me golf for real, no more bs, we can finish out the contract.”

Court didn’t sound happy about bending for him, but Heath would take it. He didn’t like this feeling that sat on his chest. Heath needed time to work through this in his head. The image he had in his mind of that night didn’t line up with the man sitting next to him. Heath had to think about this. Until then, Court couldn’t go away. He had to see this through.

Chapter Three

This time when thedoorbell rang, Court knew better what to expect. He had lain awake half the night, calling himself a thousand versions of an idiot. That didn’t stop him from opening the door to Heath. He looked like a golfer. Court couldn’t explain that thought. Just everything about Heath screamed he was on his way to the golf course. Court tried to treat this like just another job.

“Good morning. You look ready to play.”

“Always look the part.” Heath said the words like repeating from a script. Court found it odd, but moved on.

He stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him. “Obviously, I don’t have any clubs or anything.”

Heath shrugged. “I’m teaching you, remember? You don’t need clubs.”

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