Page 10 of Boyfriend Maintenance

My god, that man is sexy.

Me:Are you creeping on him?

Bex:I’m allowed to take pictures of my kitchen whenever I want.

Me:So, what’s your brilliant idea?

Bex:Hire him as your fake boyfriend.

No way. I couldn’t.

No, I couldn’t ask Jake. I don’t even know him. I mean, I see him around the building. He’s worked here for a few years. Everyone loves him. He seems like a nice guy. He would probably think I’m a crazy woman if I just ask him to pretend to be my date.

There’s no way I can ask him.

No way would he say yes.

Chapter 6

Jake

I’m almostpositive she just took a picture of me. The pretty blonde that lives here has always been friendly. She’s flirted a time or two, but it seemed harmless. She seems like the kind of woman who would get bored easily. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see her body angled toward me, and her phone is where I can see it. Also directed at me. Which puts her into the creepy, “must-avoid residents” column. The column is growing at an astounding rate.

Thankfully, this maintenance call is legit and isn’t some ploy to get me up here alone with her. I know the blonde, Becca, has a roommate, but she must not be here. She’s actually never been here at the same time as my past maintenance calls to their unit. Which is kind of a bummer since she’s sexy as fuck. But it’s for the best. I’d rather appreciate from afar.

They’ve got a relatively easy fix tonight. A leaky gasket on their garbage disposal. They reported a leak under their sink two days ago, but we’ve been slammed downstairs with a few higher priority issues in the building. I instructed them to place a large bowl or dish under the unit and avoid using the disposal. They’ve followed my directions and for that, they will get a gold star. I keep a mental tally of which residents are actually worth a damn. Some people, I swear to you, couldn’t follow a simple instruction if their life depended on it.

Thinking about this has me shaking my head to myself. After reattaching the plug to the garbage disposal and dishwasher drain hose, I start to pack up my tool kit.

“Well, this was an easy fix. The gasket was getting pretty old, so I replaced it. You shouldn’t have any more leaking.”

“Oh, that’s great news.” Becca is leaning against the end of the couch, like I expected, facing where I was working.

“Em, did you hear that? He said we are easy.” She says this right as the roommate in question enters the living room from what I assume is her bedroom.

I clear my throat. “That’s not what I said.”

Becca lifts a shoulder but is looking at her roommate.

The brunette must be used to Becca’s antics because she just smiles then addresses me. “So, what was the issue?”

“Leaky gasket. It was an easy fix.” Now that I’m taking her in, I don’t think I could look away if I wanted to. Her dark hair is up on the top of her head in a messy bun. She’s wearing a gray Cornell hoodie and black leggings. She’s also barefoot. There is something about this low-key look that I’m drawn to. It’s like she doesn’t care what people think of her. She’s going to do what she wants. And clearly, she wants to be dressed for comfort, not first impressions.

“Oh, that’s good. I’m glad it wasn’t anything worse. I can’t imagine having to live without a garbage disposal.” She smiles and I can see the laughter in her eyes.

I crack a smile. We stand there for a moment, smiling at each other when Becca speaks.

“Jake, have you ever dated for money?” Her eyes widen and her gaze swings toward Becca as I replay the words back in my mind.

“Excuse me?” My stare hardens on Becca. I’m not sure where this is going. I doubt I will like it.

“Well, Emmy here has a proposition for you.” She crosses her arms, looking like she’s about to start negotiating a big-money deal.

“I do not.” Emmy gasps and I steal a glance at her and can easily see her face redden.

So, this is Emmy. She’s damn sexy all dressed up and down, but she’s fucking adorable when she’s embarrassed. And now I’m curious as to what this proposition is.

The two women seem to have a silent conversation and I ping-pong glances between the two.

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