Page 27 of Needing Your Love
“I look after our people,” I attempted to reason away my stalking of the boy.
“Yeah, but he moved out of town,” Jamie argued. “Wasn’t your responsibility anymore—not that he ever really was.”
I shrugged, wishing I could believe what my son claimed.
“So you’re aware of what he does for work.” Jamie didn’t ask a question, but I nodded while sinking my teeth into another bite of my burger. “That guy Zack—his co-worker…” My son scratched at the back of his neck, his face flushing red. “I, uh…hired him a few times.”
“No need to be embarrassed,” I promised even though my suspicions had been proven correct. “Don’t give a shit about who a man sleeps with. But how did you afford that?” I asked. “Because I’ve seen what Elite Escorts charges for Jimmy, and my son didn’t have those kinds of funds while in college.”
“Shit.” Jamie eyed his fries and swallowed hard. “I had an OnlyFans.”
I might be old but was well aware of what he spoke of. Dex had tried to get me interested in a few younger guys on there he thought might appeal to me.
Jamie glanced up at me. “You really don’t care, do you?”
“Of course not,” I said, studying my burger for my next bite. “A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do to get what he wants.”
“Speaking of.” Jamie paused until I met his inquisitive gaze. “What’s up with you and Jimmy?”
“Not a damned thing.” I took a large bite to give myself a minute to decide how to wade through this topic with my son.
“Liar.”
I chuckled while chewing, shaking my head. “Seriously, there’s nothing going on between us.”
His head cocked to the side. “You wish there was though, don’t you?”
Jamie had been honest with me, so he deserved the same openness. I hoped he wouldn’t look down on me for my actions since Jimmy had left.
“I kept tabs on him just like he accused me of doing. Even went so far as to hire a private investigator initially, becausethere was no trace of him online. He lived on the streets before landing the job at EEMM. After that, he was easy to check up on through their website and social media.”
Jamie watched me, and I could hear his brain working as long seconds ticked past. “How long, Dad?”
I knew exactly what he asked, even though his tone didn’t hint at accusation of grooming and inappropriate actions with a minor. “Something about that boy always made me concerned for his well-being, but I promise there was no interest on my part back then.”
He blew out a breath and picked up his burger again. “When did you find out he wanted you?”
“The night he turned eighteen, he stopped by our house before escaping town.”
Jamie chewed, still eyeing me. “Where was I?”
“At Chaz’s.”
He nodded and dipped more fries in ketchup. “So you didn’t…”
“No. I didn’t want him then like I do now.” Well, my body had, but I’d been too confused and gobsmacked at the time to do anything but deny the boy.
A smirk twisted Jamie’s lips as he chewed.
“What?”
He shook his head, grabbing for more fries. “I wish I could hate to say it, but Jimmy seems kind of perfect for you.”
It was my turn to exhale loudly and study my food that grew cold.
“He hides behind one hell of a wall, and I’ll bet you’re dying to dive through it and sus out his every secret.”
I released a slow exhale. “You would be right.”
