Page 12 of Spoonful

My tuition.Brent never failed to remind Jaylin that he was the one paying Jaylin’s way. “It’s going good,” Jaylin said. “I’m almost finished.” He’d dictated the whole thing that afternoon, and was now just doing the arduous task of painstakingly reading it over and over to try to ferret out typos. He’d gotten an 80% on his last paper solely because he’d had grammatical issues and his voice to text had spelled things incorrectly.

Brent nodded and then changed the subject again, bored with talking about Jaylin. He had spent the last couple weeks working hard on a case, including late nights and weekends, and was happy to vent to a captive audience. Maybe that was why he’d been demanding to see Jaylin more. It was a way to get out frustration.

When they were finished eating, Brent waved off dessert and paid the bill. He put a heavy hand on Jaylin’s hip as he led Jaylin back to the car, where his driver Ernie was waiting for them.

Once they were inside, Ernie flicked a glance at them through the rear view mirror and rolled up the privacy screen.

Jaylin swallowed as Brent’s hand slid up his thigh.

The entire drive back to Brent’s house, Jaylin told himself the same thing he always did.It’s worth it, it’s worth it, it’s worth it.

***

When Brent was finally done with him, Jaylin stumbled to the master bath’s shower to rinse off. Brent let him go without fuss, happy enough to let Jaylin clean himself up.

Sore and exhausted, Jaylin let the warm water beat down on his back for a few precious minutes, keeping his head tilted forward to keep his hair from getting wet. His body ached from the hard fucking, and his scalp hurt from the way Brent had pulled on his hair to coax his body into a prettier arch.

When he knew he shouldn’t push the shower any longer because Brent was waiting, he went through the motions of cleaning his body. He no longer wrinkled his nose at the mess, having long gotten used to the fact that Brent didn’t like using condoms.

When he was finished, he toweled himself dry, still moving gingerly. His wrists and hips hurt, like they were about to start blooming with bruises, and Jaylin dreaded what they might look like come morning. Brent knew he wasn't supposed to leave marks. It was the only other rule Jaylin had set down. Brent hadpromised.

Brent hadn’t been great at keeping those promises, lately.

Jaylin shoved aside his frustration as he went to brush his teeth. If he was brave enough to try to bring it up, he knew what Brent would do. He’d apologize in that saccharine way he did, saying that he didn’t realize he was holding Jaylin’s wrists that tightly.

“I won’t do it again, pet.”

Or worse, Brent would get annoyed with him. Jaylin could picture that too.“Really? You’re complaining about a few little bruises? After everything I give you? Pet, I’m disappointed.”

So Jaylin wasn’t going to bring it up, even if it bothered him. There was no point. He wasn’t going to win. So he might be a little bruised. So what? It was nothing in the grand scheme of things. He shouldn’t complain. All things considered, he had it great right now. He didn't have to pay for rent or school, and that was huge. He got help with some of his other bills, and some free meals besides. Things werefine.Good, even.

Jaylin had nothing to complain about. He just had to remind himself of that.

***

Jaylin woke up before Brent did, Brent’s arm heavy around his waist, and he spent several long minutes just lying there, heart pounding loud in his ears as the weight pressed him into the mattress.

When Brent finally stirred, he rolled fully on top of Jaylin and grabbed a fist full of Jaylin’s hair, tilting his head up and to the side. “Morning pet,” Brent purred into his ear.

Jaylin gritted his teeth against the sick feeling he always got when Brent touched his hair, the panic at being held down. “Morning,” he managed, and braced himself for whatever might come next.

This time it was a blowjob, which Jaylin was grateful for. It was easier than being fucked and way less messy, and all hehad to do was ignore the hand clenched in his curls and relax his jaw and throat so that Brent could use him rough, the way he preferred.

Once Jaylin had finished him off and Brent was laying back in the sheets looking satisfied, he’d given Jaylin permission to go.

Jaylin stumbled out a thank you and hurriedly threw on his clothes, then grabbed up his backpack with his toiletries and outfit from last night. He didn’t want Brent to change his mind. Especially when he had somewhere to be in a few hours.

He left Brent in the bedroom and pulled out his phone to call for a ride, using Brent’s account because he was allowed to coming and going from where Brent wanted him to be. He kept an ear out while he did so, listening for the shower to start.

Once he heard the water turn on, Jaylin let out a breath and beelined to the kitchen, where he devoured two bananas, grateful both to get something into his stomach and to erase the taste of Brent from his mouth. He grabbed a couple apples for the road, stuffing them into his coat pockets, then anxiously shifted from foot to foot as he waited for his ride to show up, keeping an ear out for any sounds or signs that Brent was approaching.

When his phone alerted him that his ride was outside, Jaylin jumped to leave the house, feeling as though he was about to vibrate out of his skin. All he wanted to do was go home, brush his teeth, and take another shower. Sure, he’d showered last night, but sometimes even showering at Brent’s didn’t leave him feeling clean.

The frigid air hit him as he opened the front door, making him hiss. It was so cold now, with it being mid-January, and Brent’s stupid coat wasn’t cutting it.

He said his pleasantries to the driver as he got into the car and buckled himself in. Twenty minutes and he’d be home.

He passed the drive playing one of his puzzle games on his phone, and managed to get into it enough that it was a pleasant surprise once the car stopped in front of his apartment building. He thanked the driver, then fished his keys out of his pocket and hurried up the steps, ready to be inside and out of the chill. He really needed to invest in a scarf or something, an additional warm thing he could wear with Brent’s stupid coat that the man wouldn’t object to. He kept thinking about making it over to the thrift store to grab one, but the closest one was fifteen minutes away by bus, and it seemed like such a waste of a trip, just for a scarf.

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