Page 6 of Switch
PJ: All I’m getting from that is you want to fuck me
Asshole can’t wait a day on the rent, but he’s got time to send me a GIF with someone rolling out a middle finger.
Fuck.If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been tempted to cut this piece of shit’s throat in his sleep.But if I did, I’d be out a place to live.
Now that nobody’s around, I fire a quick text to my pimp:You got anything for me?Rent’s due soon, and some teenager with a stick-knife took my cookies and my last twenty
There’s some cash in my checking account, but not enough to cover the high cost of living in Belle Argo, Florida.
Brennan: Didn’t anyone tell you not to go around handing out cash when you don’t have any?
Is it just me, or are there assholes everywhere today?
PJ: Guess Momma was too busy getting high and passed around by her dealer to teach me that lesson
Learned lots of other important stuff, though.Fucking the landlord doesn’t guarantee free rent forever, nobody questions the cause of death of a dealer who uses his own product, and the most dangerous phrase in the English language is “just one more.”
You know, the basics.
Brennan: One of your regulars requested you for some boating thing on Sunday—a yacht party.
PJ: I’ll take it.What else?
Brennan: I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that there’s less demand for companionship setups than the other stuff, straight boy.
The other stuff is fucking.Most other escorts I know have done it, despite how they identify.Some guy Evans knew made bank doing that kind of porn where a desperately hard-up straight guy was cajoled on camera into getting fucked by a monster cock to make rent.Art imitates life, and all.
The thought of getting fucked by a monster cock makes my asshole clench so hard it might not open again.I figure you’ve got to be into it at least a little to make the big bucks.
Besides, I know how some other escorts have been treated by customers.No chance could I tolerate that shit, and explaining away dead bodies is a pain in the ass.
I only got into escorting after Evans disappeared, when I found Brennan’s contact info among Evans’s stuff.Dinner dates and go-go dancing at parties seemed an easy enough way to pay bills until I found Evans.
Except, a year later, I’m no closer to finding him.The cost of hiring investigators (who turned up jack shit) has burned through my resources.Not to mention paying double the rent, because I refuse to sublease Evans’s room.I’m keeping it there for when he comes home.
Brennan: I have a request for Friday night: a dinner date and possible extracurriculars.Sounds like the guy doesn’t get out much, so might require a soft touch.
Nobody in the history of ever has accused me of being a soft touch.But here we are.And if Brennan starts thinking I’m too good for jobs, I’m not sure where I’ll be.
PJ: Possible extracurriculars?
Brennan: Dude didn’t seem sure if dessert would be on the menu, but I was going to give it to one of the other guys in case.The job is yours if you think you can handle it.
Can I?I’ve watched some man-on-man porn.Gritting my teeth and bearing it while some big dude fucks me looks like a painful day at the office.And most clients want a bottom.
Pass,I type outas I hoof it toward downtown.My hand hovers over the Send button before I sigh and stick the phone back in my pocket.
As much as it pisses me off, I need a minute to think about whether I can afford to say no.The yacht party might not cover the whole month’s rent.Even if it does, I’m low on seeds and insects for Jolene.
It isn’t until I make it to the swankier part of town, with its brick streets and stylish low-slung buildings, that I stop to think harder about my reply.I park myself against a brick wall outside of a coffee shop called Buzz Buzz Buzz and pull out my phone again.There’s an older lady with a Chihuahua at a nearby table.The little dog will probably let me know if danger approaches.
My brain coughs up the contents of my kitchen, which at the moment is some instant noodles and half a carton of OJ—plus one overripe banana.
I have a legitimate job working as a custodian at Belle Argo University.It provides me with free tuition and suits me fine because people tend to stay out of my business.The pay is shit, though, and a look at my calendar tells me my next check won’t arrive until after the rent’s due.
Fuck.
Eviction is a risk I won’t take.When Evans comes back, his place needs to be there.His room.His stuff.His best friend, or whatever’s left of me.
